By Laura Michell
A 20-year-old man has been arrested over the killing of Israeli student Aiia Maasarwe in Bundoora.
Police said in a statement that the man was arrested in Greensborough by local police in partnership with homicide detectives about 11.20am.
Ms Maasarwe’s body was found by passers-by in shrubbery outside the Polaris Shopping Centre on Main Drive on Wednesday morning.
Police believe the 21-year-old was attacked after getting off a tram at a stop on Plenty Road shortly after midnight.
Police said it appeared Ms Maasarwe had been seriously assaulted, however the exact circumstances of her death are yet to be determined.
It is believed Ms Maasarwe was at a club in North Melbourne on Tuesday night and caught the route 86 tram from a Bourke Street stop.
The arrest comes as students at La Trobe University’s Bundoora campus gathered for a memorial for Ms Maasarwe, who was enrolled at La Trobe College. The college is located on the university campus.
In a statement, La Trobe University vice-chancellor John Dewar and La Trobe College director Tony Cranshaw said the community was shocked and saddened by the killing of Ms Maasarwe.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to the student’s family and friends,” the statement said.
