Canadian porn actor charged in grisly death

BERLIN -- A Canadian porn actor accused of videotaping a killing and mailing the victim's body parts to the country's top political parties was apprehended yesterday in Berlin after he was found in a cafe reading about himself on the Internet.

Luka Rocco Magnotta, 29, was picked up in an Internet cafe after an employee ran outside and flagged down a passing police vehicle, police spokesman Guido Busch said.

The owner of the cafe, in Berlin's working-class Neukoelln district, told The Associated Press that Magnotta had come in to read news reports about himself when one of his employees recognized him.

"A colleague recognized him from his photo, because he'd just read the newspaper," said the owner, who spoke on condition that he not be named. He said police happened to be outside and, after being alerted, they arrested Magnotta about 2 p.m. without difficulty.

Busch said seven officers entered the cafe and confronted Magnotta. "He tried at first giving fake names but in the end he just said: 'You got me,' " Busch said. "He didn't resist."

Magnotta is wanted by Canadian authorities on first-degree murder and other charges. He is suspected of killing Jun Lin, 33, a Chinese university student he dated, and mailing Lin's body parts to Canadian political parties.

Julie Carmichael, a spokeswoman for Canada's public safety minister, confirmed the arrest. "We expect that the individual responsible for these troubling acts will face the full force of the law," she said.

The suspect is being questioned, and will be brought before a judge who will read out the international arrest warrant, police spokeswoman Kerstin Ziesmer said.

"He says he is the wanted person," she added, while cautioning that his identity must still be independently confirmed by German authorities.

Even if Magnotta contests extradition, there are not expected to be any major hurdles for his return to Canada. One such factor in extraditions would be the possibility of the death penalty, but Canada does not have capital punishment.