Police arrest two suspects in Ugandan athlete murder

The police said on Monday they had arrested two people in connection with the weekend stabbing to death of Ugandan athlete Benjamin Kiplagat.

The two men -- believed to be in their 30s -- were arrested on the outskirts of the Rift Valley town of Eldoret, local police commander Stephen Okal said. 

"The two suspects are known criminals who have been terrorising the members of public," Okal told AFP. 

"We are in the advanced stage of the investigations and we will possibly be sending them to court tomorrow." 

The Kenyan-born Kiplagat had represented Uganda internationally in the 3,000m steeplechase, including at several Olympic Games and World Championships.

The 34-year-old's body was found in a car on Saturday night with a deep knife wound to his neck. 

While the motive of the killing was still unknown, police said investigations had shown that Kiplagat had been "waylaid" by the two men before he hit their motorcycle with his car. 

"This probably provoked them into that violent act," Okal told AFP, referring to the stabbing. 

One of the suspects had been arrested with a knife believed to have been used in the killing, he added. 

Eldoret is known for being home to numerous athletes who undergo training in the high-altitude region.

Kiplagat, whose career spanned about 18 years, won the silver medal in the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2008 World Junior Championships and bronze at the Africa Championships in 2012.

He made the semi-finals of the event at the 2012 Olympics in London and also competed in Rio in 2016.

His death follows the killing in October 2021 of Kenyan distance running star Agnes Tirop who was found stabbed to death at the age of 25 in her home at Iten, a training hub near Eldoret.