Italian Fugitive Apprehended in Campclar
The National Police have arrested a high-risk fugitive known as the 'Master of Escapes' in Tarragona, acting on a European Arrest Warrant issued by Italian judicial authorities for crimes against public order and safety. The man, considered "very dangerous" by police, had been on the run since December 2025 after escaping a maximum-security prison in Italy. Investigators from the Judicial Police Brigade in Tarragona identified the suspect’s presence in the city’s Campclar neighbourhood, leading to a targeted operation that culminated in his arrest. The fugitive resisted arrest forcefully, according to police, and was accompanied by several associates who attempted to block the operation.
Violence and Weapons During Arrest
One of the suspect’s companions attacked two officers, causing injuries, and is now wanted for assault on law enforcement. After the intervention, Catalan police (Mossos d'Esquadra) found a Sig Sauer pistol hidden in nearby bushes, discarded by one of the fleeing associates. The fugitive attempted to conceal his identity using false documentation at the police station. Under this alias, he had a prior criminal record in Girona for possession of weapons and explosives. During the arrest, authorities seized two €500 notes believed to be counterfeit.
"It seems like a movie, but sometimes reality surpasses fiction,"
said a National Police statement issued on Wednesday.
History of Daring Prison Escapes
The suspect earned his nickname through multiple high-profile prison breaks. He first escaped an Italian prison in Terni in 2009. In 2013, he fled again from a facility in Parma, Italy, and shortly afterward from a Belgian prison by using a human pyramid to scale walls. His most recent escape in December 2025 involved sawing through window bars and rappelling down using knotted sheets. He was detained under a European Order of Detention and Delivery (OEDE) and has been remanded incommunicado at Mas d'Enric prison without bail, pending extradition proceedings.
Reported by Jan Magarolas, Lucas Martorell, Tarragona Ràdio, Ràdio Ciutat de Tarragona, Tarragona21, Tarragona Digital, policia.es, Diari de Tarragona, Streamline Feed Official, ARA, ilgiorno.it, Guillem RS, diarimes.com, reusdigital.cat.
