Patrick Karegaya was found dead in a Johannesburg hotel room this Thursday.
Authorities are looking into whether the exiled Rwandan spy chief might have been strangled to death. South African police found his body at Michaelangelo Towers, an upscale hotel. His neck was swollen, and a towel and rope were found.
According to Reuters, Paul Ramakolo, a spokesman for South Africa Hawks, an elite crime fighting unit, was able to confirm Karegaya’s death.
Karegaya, who was 53, fought in the war in Rwanda in 1994. Karegeya participated in a military court case in 2011. He and several other officers were sentenced to 20 years in prison for threatening state security.
Opposition leaders immediately President Paul Kagame of ordering his assassination. According to a report from the Associated Press, a Rwandan High Commissioner urged people to wait for South African Police to establish what happened.
Kagame’s spokesmen could not be reached for further comment.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.