KIGALI, Rwanda — Paul Rusesabagina, portrayed in the film “Hotel Rwanda” as a hero who saved the lives of more than 1,200 people from the country's 1994 genocide, has been arrested by the Rwandan government on terror charges, police announced on Monday.

What You Need To Know

  • Paul Rusesabagina, the man who saved over 1,000 people at the Hotel des Mille Collines in 1994, has been arrested on terrorism charges

  • Don Cheadle portrayed Rusesabagina in the award-winning movie "Hotel Rwanda"

  • The 1994 genocide saw nearly 800,000 ethnic Tutsi and Twa slaughtered by Hutu extremists

  • Rusesabagina's daughter told the Associated Press she believes her father was "kidnapped"

The day following his arrest, Rusesabagina's daugher claimed he was "kidnapped" by the Rwandan government. 

Rusesabagina’s adopted daughter, Carine Kanimba, told The Associated Press she last spoke with him before he flew to Dubai last week but she didn’t know the exact nature of his trip. She didn’t provide evidence to support her claim that he was kidnapped.

She said his family has not been able to speak to him and is worried the 66-year-old may not be getting his hypertension medication.

Rusesabagina has long been a target because of his criticism of the Rwandan government, Kanimba added.

“What they’re accusing him of is all made up,” she said. “There is no evidence to what they’re claiming … We know this is a wrongful arrest.”

A statement from Rwanda’s Bureau Of Investigation (RIB) on Monday said Rusesabagina was arrested with “international cooperation,” although they declined to say where he was arrested. Rusesabagina had been splitting his time between Belgium and the United States since 1996.

“Through international cooperation, the Rwanda Bureau of Investigation wants to inform the general public that Paul Rusesabagina has been arrested,” police said in a statement Monday.

“Rusesabagina is suspected to be the founder, leader, sponsor and member of violent, armed, extremist terror outfits including the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD) operating out of various places in the region and abroad,” police said.

Rusesabagina previously denied accusations from the Rwandan government that he was financially supporting rebels. 

The MRCD is an anti-Kagame political group that seeks to end what they call a “dictatorship,” as changes to the Rwandan constitution indicate Kagame may be President until 2034. Members of the MRCD also claim that Kagame’s government has carried out retribution killings of Hutus, the group primarily responsible for the 1994 genocide. 

The MRCD in a statement condemned the arrest of Rusesabagina, whom it identified as one of its leaders. The group, which describes itself as an opposition political platform, did not respond to a request for comment.

Kagame—born into a Tutsi family—was a member of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) during the country’s genocide in 1994, a Ugandan-based rebel group that ultimately ended the genocide with a military victory. 

While many view the leader as a hero in his own right, Kagame has long been accused of having political opponents assassinated, a claim he continuously denies. Government supporters reject this criticism, saying Kagame's leadership supports democracy and economic growth.

Rusesabagina and Kagame’s public feud dates back decades, as Rusesabagina has long maintained that crimes committed by the RPF also constitute genocide. 

The international arrest warrant for Rusesabagina included charges of serious crimes including terrorism, arson, kidnap and murder, perpetrated against unarmed, innocent Rwandan civilians on Rwandan territory, police said. Police told the media in Kigali that investigations against Rusesabagina will continue and more information will be released about his alleged activities.

The circumstances of Rusesabagina’s arrest and transfer to Rwanda remained unclear. Interpol declined to comment, saying it does not discuss its “red notices” for people wanted for prosecution unless they are public.

Police and authorities in Dubai, a city-state in the United Arab Emirates, did not respond to a request for comment. Rwandan President Paul Kagame maintains a close relationship with Dubai, often attending events in which moderators largely avoid discussing his government’s targeting of dissidents.

The state-owned RwandAir has direct flights between Dubai and Kigali.

While experts believe Dubai is among the most surveilled cities in the world, state-organized kidnappings have happened there. Most recently, the family of an Iranian leader of a militant dissident group said Iran kidnapped him from a Dubai airport hotel just weeks ago.

In Belgium, authorities had no information about Rusesabagina’s arrest and said they were not involved. The U.S. State Department said it was monitoring the situation and "we refer you to the Rwandan government for additional information.”

Several members of prominent human rights groups and political committees voiced their concern over Rusesabagina's arrest, saying it clearly violated his rights.

“No country has broadly conceded that it arrested and handed over Mr. Rusesabagina to the Rwandan authorities. This is a clear indication that whatever happened was illegal and nobody wants to take responsibility for blatant illegal action,” said Etienne Mutabazi, spokesman for the Washington-based opposition Rwanda National Congress.

“I believe it is a travesty that a human rights champion like Paul Rusesabagina should be captured, detained and held in the way he is being held,” said Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice. “This should raise a lot of deep concern and skepticism on behalf of a lot of people.”

Rusesabagina has won numerous international honors including the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom, which President George W. Bush awarded him in 2005. 

The Rwandan government disputes Rusesabagina’s story about saving survivors at a hotel in Kigali, during the genocide, in which more than 800,000 Tutsi and Hutus who tried to protect them were killed by Hutus.

The 2004 film “Hotel Rwanda” showed Rusesabagina, a Hutu married to a Tutsi, as using his influence as a manager of the Hotel des Mille Collines, to allow more than 1,200 Tutsis to shelter in the hotel's rooms. In the film, Rusesabagina was played by actor Don Cheadle.

Naphatal Ahishakiye, executive secretary of Ibuka, a Rwanda survivors’ organization, said that Rusesabagina's arrest is good news for survivors of the genocide. Ahishakiye said Rusesabagina had charged people money to be able to survive in the hotel.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. This report has been updated to include Carine Kanimba's statement.