Detectives investigating the murder of John "Goldfinger" Palmer who was found shot at his home in South Weald have arrested a 43-year-old man, Essex Police have said.
The 65-year-old, who was cleared of handling proceeds from the £26 million Brink's-Mat bullion raid at Heathrow in 1983 , was found shot in his home in South Weald, Essex, on 24 June this year.
Essex Police said a 43-year-old man from Rugby was arrested on Wednesday, and has now been bailed pending further investigations.
Palmer always denied he was a gangster, but an Old Bailey jury heard how he offered to launder £60m of drug money a year, as well as offering weapons for sale and the services of foreign hitmen to execute people in the UK.
After Mr Palmer's body was found in his house in Sandpit Lane, South Weald, police did not initially treat the death of the notorious criminal as suspicious, blaming complications from a recent operation.
But a post-mortem examination later found he died of gunshot wounds to the chest, with police confirming their findings last month.
The Essex house where John Palmer was killed (AP)
Mr Palmer was reported to have extensive connections in the criminal underworld and earned his nickname after being cleared over the Brink's Mat raid.
He was jailed in 2001 for timeshare fraud, after building a multimillion-pound business that cheated thousands of Britons who wanted a holiday home in the sun.
He had spent the last eight years on bail following his arrest in Tenerife in 2007, where he was charged with fraud, firearm possession and money laundering.
In a statement, Essex Police confirmed that an arrest had been made, with the suspect having been bailed pending further enquiries to 23 September.
DCI Simon Werrett, who is leading the investigation, told The Independent that this is a "positive development" in the enquiry.
"We are continuing to appeal for witnesses to any suspicious activity in the area to come forward or for anyone who has information which could help us to get in touch."
