One of the men suspected of killing Birna made repeated phone calls to an Icelandic friend during the fateful night 5935

The local newspaper Stundin reports that one of the men suspected of having killed 20 year old local woman, Birna Brjánsdóttir on Saturday January 14, made repeated phone calls to an Icelandic friend during the night and morning when Birna disappeared. Some of the phone calls seem to have been made while Police suspects Birna was in a car with the two men, others during a period when Police suspects her body was being dumped.

Police is looking into the phone calls, as well as other data from cell phones which has been collected in connection to the investigation. The phone calls provide new details about what happened during the fateful hours leading up to and following Birna's tragic death.

Police searching for a murder weapon

Birna Brjánsdóttir Born on November 28 1996, went missing on January 14. Photo/Metropolitan Police

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that the body found on Sunday was that of Birna Brjánsdóttir, a 20 year old local girl who went missing on Saturday January 14. According to the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service Police has also confirmed that she was murdered. Police has not confirmed the cause of death, but the local newspaper Morgunblaðið reports that Police is searching for a murder weapon. Blood from Birna was found in a car which had been rented by two fishermen from a Greenlandic trawler Polar Nanoq which was harboured in Hafnarfjörður harbour, on the southern outskirts of the capital region. Two men are in custody, suspected of having killed Birna.

Yesterday their identity was revealed by numerous local news outlets. Both are Greenlandic nationals who are said to be in their 20s.

Read more: The identity of the two men suspected of murdering 20 year old Birna Brjánsdóttir revealed

Yesterday the local newspaper Stundin reported that one of the suspects made repeated attempts to call an Icelandic friend during the morning of Saturday January 14 when Birna Brjánsdóttir disappeared. Several of the phone calls were placed during the time when Police believes Birna was in the car with the two Greenlandic fishermen being held in custody.

A quiet friendly man

The two suspects Thomas Møller Olsen (left) and Nikolaj Olsen (right). Photo/Iceland Insider – Facebook

The local newspaper Stundin reports that a young local woman, María Káradóttir, who works at the downtown bar The English Pub, told the newspaper Stundin that she had gotten to know one of the two men, Nikolaj Olsen, during his previous visits to Iceland. He has visited Iceland on numerous occasions, making Icelandic friends and acquaintances during these visits.

María describes Nikolaj as a polite and soft man, who didn't drink as much as many other fishermen and sailors who frequent the bar:

He was usually alone and came here to meet me. I had known him for a year and a half. We frequently chatted, and he was always polite and very decent. I also thought that he never drank as much as the other sailors, and he was always polite and sweet. He never made trouble or a ruckus.

She only recognized the second man, Thomas Møller Olsen, from photos in local media. Thomas Møller is being held on suspicion of having killed Birna and of being connected to a large drug find on board the trawler: I had never seen this Thomas before that night. Myself and another girl who works here have known Nikolaj for a long time, and only from good things.

A long night of drinking
María told Stundin that Nikolaj came to the bar on Friday January 13: He comes in, just before midnight, when he seems to be sober. He sits down at the bar and we chat for a while. Nikolaj was in a good mood, she tells Stundin. He spoke to other guests and then plays the lucky wheel, a kind of roulette wheel mounted on the wall behind the bar. Nikolaj strikes lucky on the wheel, winning eight large beers. María says that Nikolaj also ordered shots.

According to María Nikolaj was alone for most of the night, although he chatted with other guests. However, just before three o'clock Thomas Møller came to speak to Nikolaj. She says that Nikolaj had become quite intoxicated by that time. He was later asked to leave as he had fallen asleep at one of the tables.

Nine phone calls 
Unlike Nikolaj, Thomas seemed to be quite sober. María says that Thomas didn't say much, but sat beside Nikolaj, drank one beer and a shot. Police believes that Thomas drove the red Kia Rio which Birna Brjánsdóttir entered later that night. Shortly after Nikolaj was shown out of the bar he started calling María, who ignored the calls, as Nikolaj was already very drunk.

The first phone call came at five minutes to four. At that time he was sitting on the pavement in front of the bar. Then he continues to call me all through the night, and next morning. He sits in front of the bar until roughly four thirty, but I don't know where he went then.  

Hafnarfjörður harbour Birna's shoes were found close to the ship, her ID was found on board the ship. Photo/Vísir-Iceland Insider

Nikolaj made nine phone calls to María that night. The first five calls were made before Police believes Birna entered the car which the two suspects were driving: At 3:55, 3:56, 5:16, 5:18 and 5:19 AM. Police believes Birna entered the red Kia Rio the two men were driving at 5:25AM. At 5:50 a telecommunications tower in Hafnarfjörður, near where the Polar Nanoq was harboured, received the last signal from Birna's cell phone. The phone was turned off manually shortly thereafter.

Minutes later, at 5:53AM the car is spotted on footage from security camera footage from a nearby golf course. The behavior of the driver in the footage is described as suspicious. At 6:10 the car is then seen entering the harbour area where the Polar Nanoq was located. According to reports Nikolaj then exits the car and is seen speaking with Thomas Møller for a while. At 7:00 Thomas leaves, only to return at 11:30AM. Police believes he disposed of the body of Birna during this time.

Screenshots from María's phone show that Nikolaj made several phone calls to her during this period: First at 6:03, then at 6:04 and finally at 6:44 AM. He also called her at 11:55 AM, after Thomas Møller had returned to the trawler.

Nikolaj said everything was fine
María did not return any of the phone calls. However, she spoke with him on Snapchat in the afternoon on Saturday. She asked him if everything was ok, since he had been making frantic attempts to reach her during the morning. She says that Nikolaj claimed everything was ok, and she says there was nothing in their conversation which caused her to suspect that there was anything wrong. 

Heading the investigation Grímur Grímsson, Police Chief Superintendent Photo/Anton Brink

After the name of the Polar Nanoq had been mentioned in local media she tried to get in touch with Nikolaj, as she new he was a member of the crew. 

I finally got in touch with him on Tuesday, when I send him a message, and a few minutes later I get a reply. I sent him a message on Facebook, asking if he was still hung-over from Saturday morning. He said he was ok, that he was out fishing, but that the ship was returning to Iceland. He said there was trouble with the wi-fi on-board. I asked him if everything had been all right that night and he had made it on-board safe. I never got an answer.

According to Stundin María has been in contact with the Police which has received a copy of all her conversation with Nikolaj. Grímur Grímsson, Police Superintendent with the Metropolitan Police, who is in charge of the investigation, told the local newspaper Morgunblaðið that the police is still working through large quantities of data from security cameras and cell phones which shed light on the events leading up to and following Birna's death.

The local newspaper Stundin reports that one of the men suspected of having killed 20 year old local woman, Birna Brjánsdóttir on Saturday January 14, made repeated phone calls to an Icelandic friend during the night and morning when Birna disappeared. Some of the phone calls seem to have been made while Police suspects Birna was in a car with the two men, others during a period when Police suspects her body was being dumped.

Police is looking into the phone calls, as well as other data from cell phones which has been collected in connection to the investigation. The phone calls provide new details about what happened during the fateful hours leading up to and following Birna's tragic death.

Police searching for a murder weapon

Birna Brjánsdóttir Born on November 28 1996, went missing on January 14. Photo/Metropolitan Police

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that the body found on Sunday was that of Birna Brjánsdóttir, a 20 year old local girl who went missing on Saturday January 14. According to the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service Police has also confirmed that she was murdered. Police has not confirmed the cause of death, but the local newspaper Morgunblaðið reports that Police is searching for a murder weapon. Blood from Birna was found in a car which had been rented by two fishermen from a Greenlandic trawler Polar Nanoq which was harboured in Hafnarfjörður harbour, on the southern outskirts of the capital region. Two men are in custody, suspected of having killed Birna.

Yesterday their identity was revealed by numerous local news outlets. Both are Greenlandic nationals who are said to be in their 20s.

Read more: The identity of the two men suspected of murdering 20 year old Birna Brjánsdóttir revealed

Yesterday the local newspaper Stundin reported that one of the suspects made repeated attempts to call an Icelandic friend during the morning of Saturday January 14 when Birna Brjánsdóttir disappeared. Several of the phone calls were placed during the time when Police believes Birna was in the car with the two Greenlandic fishermen being held in custody.

A quiet friendly man

The two suspects Thomas Møller Olsen (left) and Nikolaj Olsen (right). Photo/Iceland Insider – Facebook

The local newspaper Stundin reports that a young local woman, María Káradóttir, who works at the downtown bar The English Pub, told the newspaper Stundin that she had gotten to know one of the two men, Nikolaj Olsen, during his previous visits to Iceland. He has visited Iceland on numerous occasions, making Icelandic friends and acquaintances during these visits.

María describes Nikolaj as a polite and soft man, who didn't drink as much as many other fishermen and sailors who frequent the bar:

He was usually alone and came here to meet me. I had known him for a year and a half. We frequently chatted, and he was always polite and very decent. I also thought that he never drank as much as the other sailors, and he was always polite and sweet. He never made trouble or a ruckus.

She only recognized the second man, Thomas Møller Olsen, from photos in local media. Thomas Møller is being held on suspicion of having killed Birna and of being connected to a large drug find on board the trawler: I had never seen this Thomas before that night. Myself and another girl who works here have known Nikolaj for a long time, and only from good things.

A long night of drinking
María told Stundin that Nikolaj came to the bar on Friday January 13: He comes in, just before midnight, when he seems to be sober. He sits down at the bar and we chat for a while. Nikolaj was in a good mood, she tells Stundin. He spoke to other guests and then plays the lucky wheel, a kind of roulette wheel mounted on the wall behind the bar. Nikolaj strikes lucky on the wheel, winning eight large beers. María says that Nikolaj also ordered shots.

According to María Nikolaj was alone for most of the night, although he chatted with other guests. However, just before three o'clock Thomas Møller came to speak to Nikolaj. She says that Nikolaj had become quite intoxicated by that time. He was later asked to leave as he had fallen asleep at one of the tables.

Nine phone calls 
Unlike Nikolaj, Thomas seemed to be quite sober. María says that Thomas didn't say much, but sat beside Nikolaj, drank one beer and a shot. Police believes that Thomas drove the red Kia Rio which Birna Brjánsdóttir entered later that night. Shortly after Nikolaj was shown out of the bar he started calling María, who ignored the calls, as Nikolaj was already very drunk.

The first phone call came at five minutes to four. At that time he was sitting on the pavement in front of the bar. Then he continues to call me all through the night, and next morning. He sits in front of the bar until roughly four thirty, but I don't know where he went then.  

Hafnarfjörður harbour Birna's shoes were found close to the ship, her ID was found on board the ship. Photo/Vísir-Iceland Insider

Nikolaj made nine phone calls to María that night. The first five calls were made before Police believes Birna entered the car which the two suspects were driving: At 3:55, 3:56, 5:16, 5:18 and 5:19 AM. Police believes Birna entered the red Kia Rio the two men were driving at 5:25AM. At 5:50 a telecommunications tower in Hafnarfjörður, near where the Polar Nanoq was harboured, received the last signal from Birna's cell phone. The phone was turned off manually shortly thereafter.

Minutes later, at 5:53AM the car is spotted on footage from security camera footage from a nearby golf course. The behavior of the driver in the footage is described as suspicious. At 6:10 the car is then seen entering the harbour area where the Polar Nanoq was located. According to reports Nikolaj then exits the car and is seen speaking with Thomas Møller for a while. At 7:00 Thomas leaves, only to return at 11:30AM. Police believes he disposed of the body of Birna during this time.

Screenshots from María's phone show that Nikolaj made several phone calls to her during this period: First at 6:03, then at 6:04 and finally at 6:44 AM. He also called her at 11:55 AM, after Thomas Møller had returned to the trawler.

Nikolaj said everything was fine
María did not return any of the phone calls. However, she spoke with him on Snapchat in the afternoon on Saturday. She asked him if everything was ok, since he had been making frantic attempts to reach her during the morning. She says that Nikolaj claimed everything was ok, and she says there was nothing in their conversation which caused her to suspect that there was anything wrong. 

Heading the investigation Grímur Grímsson, Police Chief Superintendent Photo/Anton Brink

After the name of the Polar Nanoq had been mentioned in local media she tried to get in touch with Nikolaj, as she new he was a member of the crew. 

I finally got in touch with him on Tuesday, when I send him a message, and a few minutes later I get a reply. I sent him a message on Facebook, asking if he was still hung-over from Saturday morning. He said he was ok, that he was out fishing, but that the ship was returning to Iceland. He said there was trouble with the wi-fi on-board. I asked him if everything had been all right that night and he had made it on-board safe. I never got an answer.

According to Stundin María has been in contact with the Police which has received a copy of all her conversation with Nikolaj. Grímur Grímsson, Police Superintendent with the Metropolitan Police, who is in charge of the investigation, told the local newspaper Morgunblaðið that the police is still working through large quantities of data from security cameras and cell phones which shed light on the events leading up to and following Birna's death.