The man arrested over the killing of Norwegian teenager Nikoline Piwoni Høie is refusing to answer police questions, it has emerged.
The suspect is a Spanish national aged between 40 and 50 who was arrested by the Guardia Civil on Monday.
According to respected local newspaper La Opinion de Malaga, he was detained in a municipality in Malaga province in connection with the 17-year-old’s death on the A-7 in Mijas on July 6.
The suspect has exercised his right to remain silent after being taken into custody before being transferred to the courts in Fuengirola.
Meanwhile, investigators have carried out a forensic examination of his Ford van believed to match witness descriptions of the vehicle involved in the fatal collision.
The Guardia Civil is attempting to establish ‘without any doubt’ that it was the vehicle that struck Nikoline by searching for biological traces and analysing any damage consistent with the impact.
Pedro Fernandez, the Spanish government’s delegate in Andalucía, confirmed that officers are focusing on forensic evidence that could conclusively link the van to the teenager’s death.
However, investigators have urged caution, stressing that the inquiry remains ongoing and that another line of investigation is still open.
Nikoline died at around 5.20am on July 6 after being struck on the A-7 near Mijas by a vehicle that failed to stop.
The case initially began as a missing person investigation after the 17-year-old failed to return home following a night out celebrating Norway’s World Cup victory over Brazil in Marbella.
Investigators later established that she had left Funky Buddha nightclub in Puerto Banus with two young men before travelling in an Uber.
Police believe she voluntarily got out of the vehicle near Riviera del Sol, before attempting to cross the motorway at a point not designated for pedestrians.
The circumstances surrounding why she left the Uber, who the two men were and what happened during the journey remain under investigation.
While the arrest marks a significant breakthrough, forensic testing on the van and further witness evidence will be crucial in determining whether prosecutors bring further charges against the suspect.
