Beau Solomon: Italian police arrest homeless man on suspicion of murdering American student found dead in Rome

A murder investigation was launched after the missing student's body was found on Monday

Italian police inspect the banks of the Tiber River, where the body of an American student was found (AP)

Italian police have arrested a homeless man on suspicion of murdering an American student who was found dead in Rome.

The body of 19-year-old Beau Solomon, who was last seen by his friends early on Friday morning at a bar, was found in the River Tiber on Monday.

Police identified the suspect as Massimo Galioto, a 40-year-old man from Rome.

A statement said he had been taken into custody after being “seriously implicated” in the death, which reports suggested could be linked to a robbery.

Mr Solomon had recently arrived in Rome to attend an exchange programme at John Cabot University, after completing his first year majoring in personal finance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“We express our most heartfelt condolences to the Solomon family and to all those who loved Beau,” a statement from John Cabot said.

The university said it was alerted to Mr Solomon’s disappearance on Friday morning by a roommate who last saw him at around 1am.

Cole Solomon, the student’s brother, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that investigators were treating the incident as a murder after his brother's body was found with a head wound and blood on his shirt.

He added that thousands of dollars had been charged to Beau Solomon's credit card after his disappearance, with his wallet and mobile phone missing.

Italian reports said €1,500 euros (£1,275) was spent on the cards at a Milan shop the following day, with police expected to check CCTV footage.

The Ansa news agency said two witnesses claimed to have seen a man throw a person into the Tiber from near the Garibaldi Bridge the night Mr Solomon disappeared.