Sabina Nessa killing: British police arrest a 36-year-old man

Sabina Nessa was killed as she walked to meet a friend at a pub a few minutes from her south London home. Photo / Metropolitan Police, via AP

British police said on Sunday they have arrested a man on suspicion of murdering Sabina Nessa, a primary school teacher killed as she walked in a London park.

Nessa's death — as she went to meet a friend just a few minutes from her home — has fueled concerns that women aren't safe on the streets of Britain's capital.

The Metropolitan Police force said a 36-year-old man was arrested overnight in southern England and was being held in custody. Two other men have previously been detained and then released under investigation, but police stressed the latest arrest was a "significant development".

Police had earlier released closed-circuit TV footage of a man seen along Nessa's route on the night she was killed, asking anyone who recognised him to contact them immediately.

Police search for evidence in the investigation of murdered 28-year-old teacher Sabina Nessa. Photo / David Cliff, AP

Police said the man is believed to have been carrying a reflective red object that he may have been trying to conceal up his sleeve.

📌 Sabina Nessa: Man arrested on suspicion of murdering teacher

The Met Police released the below images of a man they wish to speak to in connection to the killing.

Full story👇🏼https://t.co/1XtXX7LoOu #Catford #lewisham #sabina #SarahEverard #SabinaNessa #Kidbrooke pic.twitter.com/FD3xbcOpNb

— James-J Walsh (@JamesJWalsh) September 23, 2021

Nessa, 28, was found dead in Kidbrooke, southeast London, on September 17. Detectives believe she was attacked during what should have been a five-minute walk to meet a friend at a nearby pub.

Hundreds of people held a candlelight vigil for Nessa on Friday, demanding an end to violence against women.

"This feels like we are stuck in a bad dream and can't get out of it. Our world is shattered, we are simply lost for words," Nessa's sister, Jebina Yasmin Islam, told the crowd. "No family should go through what we are going through."

People react as they gather during a vigil for murdered 28-year-old teacher Sabina Nessa in Kidbrooke in south-east London. Photo / David Cliff, AP

Nessa's death came six months after the abduction, rape and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard in south London by a serving police officer. The Everard case shocked the country and saw thousands take to the streets to denounce violence against women. - AP