Suspected mastermind of Argentina triple femicide detained in Peru

BUENOS AIRES - Argentina's government on Tuesday said Peruvian authorities had detained the suspected mastermind behind the brutal murders of three young women in a live-streamed attack, bringing the arrests in the case to nine.

"I want to congratulate the Peruvian National Police for their tremendous work and collaboration in capturing the two fugitives in the triple murder," Argentine Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said in a statement posted to X.

The suspect, identified as "little J," was arrested in Pucusana, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) south of Lima.

Earlier, Bullrich had announced the capture of another suspect in Peru, Matias Ozorio.

Last week, the bodies of Morena Verdi and Brenda del Castillo, cousins aged 20, and 15-year-old Lara Gutierrez were found buried in the yard of a house in a southern suburb of Buenos Aires, five days after they went missing on 19 September.

The three were tortured and killed on a closed social media group of 45 users as a "warning" over an alleged drug theft, according to Buenos Aires Security Minister Javier Alonso.

The suspected mastermind "little J" is a Peruvian national, about 20 years old, and is alleged to operate a drug gang in the Zavaleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

Ozorio, who is around 23 years old, is believed to be "little J"'s right-hand man, local media reported.