York Regional Police say a second suspect has been arrested in the alleged armed kidnapping of Wanzhen Lu in Markham last month.
Hashim Abdullahi, 33, was arrested without incident after a search warrant was executed at a residence in Brampton on Tuesday.
Abdullahi appeared via video link in a Newmarket court Wednesday morning and was charged with kidnapping, forcible confinement, assault with a weapon and assault. He is expected to be back in court on April 8.
“We have very hard working and dedicated individuals who have been putting in a significant amount of time to try and identify these suspects,” Const. Laura Nicolle told Global News. “We’ve also had excellent cooperation and support from our community. We’ve had people calling in with tips … That’s been very crucial in terms of moving things forward.”
The arrest comes one day after police announced that another suspect, Abdullahi Adan of Toronto, surrendered to police on Monday night.
Adan is being held in custody and is expected to appear in court on Friday for a bail hearing.
Police are still seeking two suspects in connection with the alleged kidnapping of Lu, a 22-year-old international student from China.
“There’s only these two outstanding. We feel it’s a matter of time before they’re identified,” Nicolle said. “It would be the smart thing for them to get a lawyer and get some legal advice and turn themselves in.”
Police reposted photos of those two suspects on Twitter Wednesday morning in the hope that the public will be able to help identify them.
Police said Lu was kidnapped on March 23 in an underground condominium parking garage near Highway 7 and Birchmount Road when three men, one armed with a Taser, exited a van and grabbed him, forcing him into the vehicle.
Initially, a possible motive was unclear and officers said no ransom demands had been made.
However, police said on Tuesday that the alleged kidnappers did make a ransom demand “late in the investigation.”
Lu was later found walking outside of a home in Gravenhurst, Ont., north of Toronto, around 9 p.m. on March 26 with only minor injuries.
His family has since flown in from China and has been reunited with him.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7865 or Crime Stoppers at 1 800-222-8477.
WATCH: Homeowner in Gravenhurst describes how he located kidnapping victim Wanzhen Lu
-With files from David Shum