Ding murders: Suspect arrested in Morocco

A man believed to be the businessman wanted in connection with the murders of the Ding family in Northampton has been arrested in Morocco.

The bodies of Jifeng Ding, wife Helen and their daughters, Alice, 12, and Xing, 18, were found in May 2011.

Northamptonshire Police said they "strongly believed" the man arrested by Moroccan authorities was Anxiang Du, 52, of Coventry.

Detectives had announced last week that Mr Du was living in Tangier.

Northamptonshire officers visited Madrid and believe their inquiries there "played a significant part in the suspect's apprehension".

Officers will now be progressing a formal application for extradition with the Home Office.

A police spokeswoman said they could not "confirm 100%" the man's identity until the process was completed.

All four members of the Ding family were found stabbed to death at their home in Wootton, Northampton, on 1 May.

Police believe they were killed on 29 April, the day of the royal wedding.

A year on from the killings, Northamptonshire Police said the search for Mr Du had spread internationally with the help of Interpol and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca).

It has worked with 43 UK police forces and through Interpol has been in touch with 180 countries.

Thousands of people have been visited and interviewed regarding sightings, information, intelligence and questioning, and more than 5,000 hours of CCTV have been seized.

By April this year, police had followed up 380 suspected sightings and carried out nine arrests, some of which were made in the belief the person was Mr Du.

Mr Ding worked as a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University and his wife worked locally at a school in Northampton.