UPDATED 4pm: The boyfriend of slain German backpacker Simone Strobel has been arrested by homicide detectives in Western Australia and is set to be extradited to NSW.
Tobias Friedrich Moran, formerly known as Tobias Suckfuell, 42, faced Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday from custody in regards to an extradition application.
Simone Strobel's father has expressed his shock at the news someone has been arrested over her death.
German reporter Manfred Schweidler shared his conversation with the her father on the news.
Gustl Strobel said: "We are totally surprised. We cannot believe it. We first have to realize what happened there".
The man was arrested in following an extensive investigation into the homicide of German backpacker Simone Strobel, in Lismore more than 17 years ago.
Simone, aged 25, was last seen at the Lismore Tourist Caravan Park on Friday February 11, 2005, after a night out with her then-boyfriend and friends.
Her body was found six days later (Thursday February 17, 2005), concealed under palm fronds at a sportsground less than 100m from the caravan park.
At a coronial inquest in 2007, then-State Coroner, Paul McMahon, ruled there was insufficient evidence to lay charges over Simone's death.
Detectives from Richmond Police District established Strike Force Howea in February 2005 to investigate Simone's murder - with assistance from the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad, and their counterparts at the Wuerzburg Criminal Police and the Prosecutors Office in Wuerzburg.
In October 2020, the NSW Government announced a $1 million reward for information which leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Simone's homicide. The Bavarian Office of Criminal Investigation had also announced a 10,000 Euro reward for residents of both Germany and Australia back in 2014.
Following extensive inquiries, strike force detectives travelled to Western Australia, where - with assistance from Western Australian Police Force - a 42-year-old man was arrested at a home today (Tuesday July 26, 2022).
NSW detectives will apply for an extradition warrant.
Further information will be provided when available.
Strike Force Howea investigators are continuing to work with their international counterparts, with investigations continuing.
Original story: Sources have told the Lismore City News that an arrest made in Perth today is in connection with the 2005 death of Simone Strobel
NSW Police Media confirmed detectives attached to Richmond Police District - assisted by officers from Western Australia Police Force - have arrested a 42-year-old man today (Tuesday July 21) in relation to an ongoing investigation.
German backpacker Simone Strobel was found dead under palm fronds at the bocce courts in Lismore in February 2005 after a week long search for the missing woman.
Simone, a kindergarten teacher, was 25 at the time of her death and had been on a backpacking holiday around Australia.
She had been staying at the Lismore Tourist Caravan Park and was last seen alive after a night out in Lismore on February 11.
The investigation into her death has remained open for the past 17 years.
An inquest into her death held in 2007 failed to provide enough evidence to charge anyone over the death.
In October 2020, the NSW Government announced a $1 million reward for information which led to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Simone's homicide.
More information will be provided when it is available.
