A businesswoman accused of killing two teenage girls in Colombia with poisoned chocolate raspberries has been arrested in London.
Zulma Guzman Castro has been sectioned in a psychiatric unit since jumping from Battersea Bridge into the River Thames last month.
The 54-year-old was the subject of an international manhunt after fleeing Colombia last year.
She is accused of murdering two young girls with chocolates injected with deadly thallium. She denies the accusations.
Her two alleged victims were Ines de Bedout, 14, and 13-year-old Emilia Forero.
According to Colombian police, the alleged murders may have been an “act of vengeance” by Castro after her affair with Ines’ father ended.
She was discovered on Battersea Bridge, southwest London before 7am on December 16. After a tense argument with negotiators, she jumped into the river.
Just 10 minutes later, Castro was found in the water. She was later held in a secure unit at St Charles Mental Health Hospital in Notting Hill under the Mental Health Act.
She was arrested for the first time on Tuesday in connection with the suspected murder of the two girls in Colombia.
It is understood that there is evidence that Castro self-harmed before jumping into the water.
Specialist psychiatric doctors have been observing her since she was sectioned for her safety.
After completing an assessment of her mental health, doctors gave the all-clear for her to be discharged.
She was arrested at the hospital on Tuesday morning by officers from the National Extradition Unit – part of the UK’s National Crime Agency.
She was transferred to Islington Police Station where she was processed before being taken to Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
Castro appeared for her first extradition hearing at court on Tuesday where she refused to consent to being sent back to Colombia.
She will appear for a further extradition hearing via video-link on 12 January with a case management hearing set for 9 February.
Authorities knew of Castro’s presence in the UK and had a warrant out for her arrest before she was discovered in the Thames, the Sun reported.
It has been suggested that she was only revealed to be in the UK after being seen drinking a bottle of Buxton water during an interview with Colombian TV, but these findings are thought to be inaccurate.
According to flight records, she entered the country on a flight from Madrid on November 11. She was reportedly actively pursued by the National Crime Agency.
Colombian authorities made a request to the UK to capture her and Westminster Magistrates’ Court released a warrant for her arrest days before she was found.
A spokesperson from the NCA said: “Zulma GUZMAN CASTRO, (aged 54), has today (Tuesday) been arrested by officers from the NCA’s National Extradition Unit (NEU).
“Castro, who is wanted by the Colombian authorities in relation to murder and attempted murder, was arrested in the W10 area of London.”
