A British man has been arrested after a woman’s body was found in a suitcase in Colombia.

A British man has been arrested in Ecuador after a woman’s body was found in a suitcase in Colombia.

Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith, 46, from Bournemouth, Dorset, is accused of causing the death of 36-year-old Natalia Villalba in an apartment in Bogotá on June 18, local authorities said.

The attorney general’s office in Columbia says Foster Smith is suspected of beating Villalba before putting her body in a suitcase, trying to cover up what happened and fleeing the scene.

An arrest warrant has been obtained by prosecutors in Colombia and an Interpol Red Notice has been issued, officials said.

Foster-Smith was held at Ecuador’s Quito International Airport.

Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan said Dorset police were assisting in efforts to locate him.

A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are supporting the British man who has been detained in Ecuador and are liaising with local authorities.”

Dorset Police have been approached for comment.