Australia arrests two over alleged aid to cop-killer fugitive after months-long manhunt

Melbourne— Australian police on Saturday arrested two people in northeast Victoria as part of an investigation into how fugitive Desmond Freeman evaded capture for seven months after killing two police officers, authorities said.

Freeman, 56, was shot dead by police on Monday at a remote property in northern Victoria, bringing to an end an extensive manhunt that began in August last year when he fled into dense bushland following the fatal shooting of two officers at his rural home.

Victoria Police said a man and a woman were detained at separate properties on Saturday morning and would be questioned over potential assistance provided to the fugitive during his time on the run.

“The investigation remains ongoing and as such, we are not in a position to provide further details at this immediate time,” police said in a statement.

Authorities had deployed significant resources in the search for Freeman, who was accused of killing 59-year-old detective Neal Thompson and 35-year-old senior constable Vadim De Waart when officers attended his property.

A third officer was wounded in the lower body during the incident.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush earlier described the operation as one of the most resource-intensive in Australian policing history, adding investigators believed Freeman may have relied on local support to remain concealed.

“It would be very difficult for him to get to where he was without assistance,” Bush said following Freeman’s death.

The arrests mark the latest development in the investigation into the circumstances that enabled Freeman to evade authorities for months despite a large-scale coordinated search across rural Victoria.