The Solomon Islands acting police commissioner, Wilfred Akao, has confirmed that police have yet to make an arrest in connection with the killing of New Zealand man Kevin O'Brien.
Last week, the Police Minister Benjamin Una named his nephew John Buarafi as the suspect and said he had been detained after he went to Malaita to warn his relatives that they could be prosecuted for harbouring a criminal.
But Mr Akao has now blamed the media for claiming there was an arrest.
"We know who is involved in the murder of Kevin O'Brien....the person is still at large...he is at the moment in Malaita...and Malaita is a dense forest area...this chap has continued to hide...whenever police make enquiries of his whereabouts...so police at this point in time have not made an arrest."
Wilfred Akao.