Man, 20, arrested over murder of Israeli student Aiia Maasarwe

A 20-year-old man has been arrested over the brutal murder of Israeli student Aiia Maasarwe, whose body was found in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora on Wednesday morning.

Victoria Police confirmed the man was arrested in the north-east suburb of Greensborough at around 11.20am on Friday, with the assistance of homicide detectives.

Aiia’s body was discovered outside a shopping centre at about 7am by passers-by on their morning commute.

It’s believed Aiia, 21, who had only been in Melbourne for five months and was studying at La Trobe University, was attacked the night before on her way home from a comedy club in North Melbourne.

According to police, Aiia had caught the 86 tram from a Bourke Street stop to the suburb of Bundoora, around 16km north of the CBD and not far from where her body was located.

Shockingly , Police say Aiia was speaking to her sister, who lives overseas, on her phone when the attack occurred.

“She was actually talking to her sister, we’re pretty certain she was involved in a conversation with her sister, who is overseas, at the time of the attack,” Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper confirmed in a press conference on Thursday.

“The phone then appeared to fall to the ground and she couldn’t contact her. We think that’s the time. She heard the sound of the phone falling to the ground and heard some voices and that was it.”

We’re LIVE regarding to the ongoing investigation into the Bundoora homicide. More -> https://t.co/FIyasPncTC https://t.co/5YXC9GIiNV

— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) January 17, 2019

The extent of Aiia’s injuries and cause of her death is yet to be released out of respect of her family.

“All I will say is, this was a horrific attack. This was an absolutely horrendous, horrific attack inflicted on a completely innocent young woman who was a visitor to our city,”  Stamper added.

A number of items, including a dark coloured t-shirt and a cap were found near the scene. Police said they were confident the clothing items belonged to the killer.

On Thursday, Victoria Police released a statement ensuring residents there would be an increased police presence in the region following the incident.

Acting Superintendent Tony Ryan from North West Metro said he understood the community was shocked and concerned following Aiia’s death.

“I can assure the community that police will have an increased presence in the area over the coming days and we’ll also be liasing with local residents and organisations,” he said.

“We all have a right to be and feel safe.”

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