Death squad suspect held in Argentina

A judge investigating the killings of dissidents in the turbulent run-up to Argentina's last dictatorship detained a retired police chief Monday on suspicion he led a 1970s-era death squad.

Federal Judge Norberto Oyarbide confirmed he had ordered Juan Ramon Morales held in connection with his investigation of the so-called "Triple A" squad that human rights groups blame for at least 1,500 killings of leftist and other anti-government opponents between 1973 and a March 1976 coup.

Morales was the second suspected head of the right-wing group to be detained. Spanish police last month arrested former Argentine police officer Eduardo Almiron on an international warrant in Valencia, Spain.

Oyarbide said both were wanted for investigation of "crimes against humanity" by the right-wing death squad.

Human rights groups say the "Triple A" squad was dissolved in March 1976 and many of its forces were believed recruited by the military junta that seized power that month and was blamed for a systematic crackdown on dissent during its seven-year rule.

Nearly 13,000 people are officially listed as dead or missing from the dictatorship era that drew to a close in 1983. Human rights group say the toll was closer to 30,000.