Spanish Police Arrest Italian Who Escaped from Prison Four Times

An Italian national described by authorities as the “Master of Escapes” has been arrested in Spain following a police operation. He is considered dangerous and had managed to escape from prison on four occasions.

The arrested man’s identity has not been disclosed, while Italy had been seeking him under a European arrest warrant. His most recent escape took place in December from a high-security Italian prison. According to authorities, he cut through the bars of a window and climbed down from the building using bedsheets tied together.

Before that, he had also escaped from prisons in Terni and Parma in Italy, as well as from a prison in Belgium. During his escape from the Belgian facility, the convicted man scaled the perimeter walls with the help of a human pyramid.

Spanish police found him in a neighborhood in Tarragona, where he was believed to have settled. He resisted officers during the operation to arrest him, while several people who were with him tried to obstruct the operation. One of them is suspected of injuring two police officers.

A search revealed that the arrested man was carrying forged documents, as well as €500 banknotes suspected of being counterfeit.

The court ordered him to remain in custody without the possibility of release on bail until the procedures for his extradition to Italy are completed.