Detectives investigating the disappearance of schoolgirl Alice Gross named a Latvian man as the prime suspect yesterday, revealing he has a murder conviction in his home country.
Scotland Yard said Arnis Zalkalns — who vanished a week after Alice, 14 — had also been arrested for the alleged indecent assault of another 14-year-old girl in London in 2009.
Detective superintendent Carl Mehta, who is overseeing the inquiry, said: “It is extremely urgent that we contact Zalkalns and question him over Alice’s disappearance. We also want to speak to anyone who may have seen him or who may have helped him by giving him money or somewhere to stay.”
Police have issued an all ports and airports alert for the Latvian, 41, and urged people not to approach him but dial 999 if they see him. They also announced a reward of up to £20,000 to anyone with information that leads detectives to find Alice.
Mehta said Zalkalns, a building labourer, was convicted of murder in Latvia in 1998 and served seven years in jail before he was released. He said his team is seeking further details from the Latvian authorities in what he described as a “fast-moving and extensive” investigation.
Zalkalns came to the UK in 2007 and was arrested for an indecent assault on a 14-year-girl in Ealing but the case was dropped when the victim refused to cooperate with police.
Yesterday’s appeal comes three weeks to the day after Alice vanished after going for a walk along the Grand Union Canal near her Hanwell home on August 28. Her rucksack containing her shoes was found days later next to a path leading from the canal towards her home.
In dramatic developments, police yesterday released new CCTV footage showing Zalkalns cycling along the isolated path just 15 minutes after the schoolgirl walked along it.
Mehta said: “They were both going in the same direction so it is clear he would have passed her. The focus of this investigation is now what happened when this took place.”
The suspect disappeared after leaving the Ealing flat he shares with partner Katerina Laiblova and their one-year-old daughter on a Trek mountain bike to go to work on September 4.
One of the last sightings of Alice, who suffers from anorexia, was at 3.45pm on August 28 when she was seen walking across Brentford Lock. The cameras catch an image of Zalkalns riding across the lock 15 minutes later.
Police have not ruled out that poor CCTV images showing cyclists at a spot further along the canal at 4.23pm may have also included an image of him. He rode to work in Isleworth along the canal path regularly and was reported missing when he did not return home.
Detectives say he left his passport at home and had not used his bank cards or his mobile phone. There have been no sightings of him since.
Mehta said police were still focused on finding Alice, adding: “At this stage there is no evidence she has come to harm,” Forensic officers have spent days searching the Latvian’s home but have reportedly found no trace of Alice.
