Vietnamese police have arrested two men over the shooting death of Australian criminal figure Lorenzo Lemalu in Ho Chi Minh City last week. Multiple outlets report that the victim, described as a senior member of the Coconut Cartel, was shot outside a restaurant in the city. The killing is described as a rare foreign-linked gangland incident in Vietnam, which authorities say is being used as a base by organised criminals.
According to reporting, Vietnamese police are questioning the two arrested men, who are identified in some accounts as Samoan nationals. One of the suspects, Lorenzo Lemalu’s reported associate and described in one outlet as a 24-year-old, is said to have admitted that he was hired to carry out a hit on a rival. Another report describes the men as being interviewed by police after their arrest.
While the sources agree on the arrest and the broad circumstances of the shooting, they differ in the amount of detail provided about motive and the full identities of the suspects. All accounts emphasize that investigations are ongoing and that Vietnamese authorities are leading the inquiry.
