A 41-year-old man has been arrested after a flight attendant was found stabbed to death in a luxury hotel room in Dubai, according to reports.
The suspect was arrested in St Petersburg some 2,700 miles away, days after authorities believe the 25 year-old Russian citizen was killed between 17-18 December.
The victim had been stabbed at least 15 times, struck in the torso, neck and limbs and died from her injuries at the scene, RBC Petersburg reported.
Investigators believe the suspect was previously in a relationship with the attendant, and had been stalking her for a number of days in Dubai before her body was discovered, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.
He was arrested on 20 December after returning to Russia, and charged with murder the same day. The flight from Dubai to St Petersburg is roughly seven hours. Dubai police reportedly identified the suspect using CCTV from the hotel before they alerted Russian law enforcement.
A source told RIA Novosti: “He is a self-employed businessman, and the murdered woman worked as a flight attendant for an airline. The couple had been dating for several years and lived together in St. Petersburg , but had separated by the time of the tragedy.”
Russian news site Fontanka reported that the man had enlisted the help of an acquaintance from St Petersburg to help him track the victim’s movements and find out which hotel room she was staying in, although this has not been confirmed by authorities.
The flight attendant had been working with Russian airline Pobeda, which is owned by state-owned carrier Aeroflot. The Independent has contacted Pobeda for comment.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said the investigation is being conducted in cooperation with law enforcement agencies in the United Arab Emirates.
The suspect has been remanded in custody for two months, until February 18.
