Fiji's Red Cross director was brutally murdered today in his bedroom, police said. He played a crucial mediation role in a coup drama last year. Another man was also murdered in the incident. The dead men were Red Cross director John Scott, 53, and Gregory Scrivener, 39, according to police.
Deposed Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry, who was helped by Mr Scott while a hostage during the coup, said he was devastated by the news. Two men, one of them Mr Scott's gardener, have been detained by police for questioning in connection with the crime. Police believe a third man was involved in the killing.
Mr Scott was a Fijian of British descent but Mr Scrivener's nationality was not immediately clear. The two bodies were found together on the bedroom floor of Mr Scott's house in Suva's elite suburb of Tamavua, police said.
A cane knife, believed to be the murder weapon, was found near Mr Scott's house but police refused to say whether the two men's wounds were knife inflicted.
