Victim identified in body parts case
A man killed in a videotaped attack that was discovered after body parts were mailed to Canada's top political parties was a Chinese student, police have said.
The victim was named by police in Montreal as Jun Lin, 33, as authorities in France search for the main suspect, Canadian porn actor Luka Rocco Magnotta, 29.
Montreal Police Commander Ian Lafreniere said Mr Lin had dated Magnotta, who is now on Interpol's equivalent of its most-wanted list.
A senior French police official said he is sure Magnotta is in France. Another official said Magnotta apparently flew to Paris from Montreal last weekend, before the case emerged.
Mr Lafreniere said that Mr Lin does not have family in Montreal, but a family member reported him missing on Tuesday. He had last been seen on May 24, with police believing that the murder took place on the night of May 24-25, with the suspect leaving for Europe on May 26.
According to a missing person's notice on the website of the Chinese consulate in Montreal, the victim was from the city of Wuhan and arrived in Montreal in July 2011.
Mr Lafreniere said: "He is a Chinese citizen who studied at a university here in Montreal and was here for a certain time.
"Thanks to the Chinese embassy, we have been able to reach the family with the sad news of what happened."
A spokesman for Concordia University said Mr Lin was registered as an undergraduate in the department of engineering and computer science.
Concordia president Frederick Lowy expressed his condolences.
"We are saddened to learn of this loss of life and it has affected our community, especially those who knew him," he said in a statement.
"In the face of such an unfortunate event, we are offering support to our staff, faculty and students in coping with this unexpected death."
Canadian foreign minister John Baird said on Twitter that he had spoken to China's ambassador to convey his "deep condolences on the senseless killing of Chinese student Jun Lin".
The Chinese Consulate in Montreal said in a statement on its website that the killer had committed a "terrible and odious crime employing exceptionally cruel methods" and said it hoped the culprit would be promptly caught and tried.
The case began on Tuesday, when a package containing a severed foot was opened at the ruling Conservative Party headquarters. A hand was discovered at a postal facility, addressed to the Liberal party of Canada. A torso was found in a suitcase on a garbage dump in Montreal, outside Magnotta's apartment building.
Montreal police have said they believe Magnotta fled for France based on evidence they found at his apartment and a blog he once wrote about how to disappear.
"What will hinder him the most is what he used to glorify himself, the web, with all the photos we have of him," Mr Lafreniere said.
But he warned that Magnotta is "someone who can disguise himself, he can change into a woman, wear a wig".
France's fugitive search unit has been ordered to hunt for Magnotta. However, Mr Lafreniere said Magnotta could be anywhere in Europe, and "there's even been talk he might have returned to Canada under another identity".
Police suspect that Magnotta filmed the murder. The video, posted online, shows a man stabbing another man with an ice pick while the victim lies naked and tied up. The first man later reveals he has slashed the other man's throat. He also performs other acts with the corpse.
"We have quite convincing proof of the crime he committed," Mr Lafreniere said, referring to the video that police have been trying to get removed from the internet. He added that veteran officers said it was the most horrific scene they had ever seen on video.
"It's not a movie, it's not something that was made up. It's a real human getting decapitated in front of the camera," he said.
Other body parts remain missing.
Police said Magnotta's birth name is Eric Clinton Newman and is also known by the name Vladimir Romanov, and describe him as white, and 5ft 8in with blue eyes and black hair.
