Ohio, 22 March 2024 (TDI): A Rwandan man was arrested in Ohio, USA on Thursday as a suspect in the Rwandan genocide. The man has been hiding his involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide for years.
Federal prosecutors accuse Eric Tabaro Nshimiye of concealing his involvement in the mass murders, including personally hacking people to death.
Eric Tabaro Nshimiye, also known as Eric Tabaro Nshimiyimana(Rwandan man arrested in Ohio), was arrested on Thursday and faces various federal charges that include obstruction of justice, perjury, and falsifying information, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a news release.
Federal prosecutors accused Nshimiye, aged 52, of living a double life and that he insisted he was a victim during the genocide.
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“For nearly 30 years, Mr. Nshimiye (Rwandan man arrested in Ohio) allegedly hid the truth about crimes he committed during the Rwandan genocide in order to seek refuge in the United States and reap the benefits of U.S. citizenship,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy of Massachusetts said in a statement. “The United States will not be a safe haven for suspected human rights violators and war criminals.”
The Rwandan man was arrested in Ohio in the small city of Canton where he had been living since he moved to the US.
The perpetrator left Rwanda in mid-1994. The following year, he traveled to Kenya, where he was accused of lying to US immigration officials in order to enter the US. He faces charges of falsifying, concealing, and covering up a material fact, obstruction of justice, and perjury.
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The Rwandan Genocide saw about 800,000 people slaughtered in Rwanda by ethnic Hutu extremists over just 100 days in 1994. So-called genocidaires targeted members of the minority Tutsi community, as well as their political opponents, irrespective of their ethnic origin.
Speaking on behalf of the Rwandan government, Minister of Justice Marie-Clare Mukangango expressed gratitude for the cooperation of U.S. authorities in apprehending the suspect. She emphasized the importance of holding accountable those responsible for the Rwandan Genocide.
David Johnson, a defense lawyer for Nshimiye(Rwandan man arrested in Ohio), did not immediately answer a telephone call requesting comment.
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