A 23-year-old man has been arrested in St Catherine in connection with a number of matters, including the murder of John Terry, the former honorary British consul, the police said yesterday.

The investigation into Terry’s murder, the police said, “is progressing well and detectives from St James are being assisted by officers from St Catherine, St Andrew North and the Major Investigation Taskforce as the hunt for those responsible continues”.

Terry was found dead at his home in Mount Carey, St James on September 9 by his gardener.

Terry’s body was nude and he appeared to have been beaten with a blunt object. It was wrapped in a sheet and a post-mortem revealed that he was strangled to death.

Residents of Mount Carey said a man was seen running from Terry’s home the night before the body was found and asked for directions to take a taxi into the nearby resort city of Montego Bay.

Two days after the discovery of the body, police released a composite drawing of a man they believe to be the prime suspect in the murder.

Gay rights advocates have labelled the Terry murder a hate crime. However, local police said that a letter found at the crime scene suggested that the diplomat’s murder may have been the end result of a lovers’ spat.

Yesterday, the police said they were making arrangements to interview the suspect in the presence of an attorney and will conduct identification parades in the next few days.