Arrested in Tarragona: 'Master of Escapes' after four prison breaks in Italy and Belgium
Spain's National Police arrested a fugitive in Tarragona who was subject to a European arrest warrant issued by Italy and known for escaping from four European prisons.
'Master of Escapes' caught in Tarragona after fleeing four European prisons
Spain's National Police have arrested a man known as the 'Master of Escapes' in Tarragona, who was subject to a European arrest warrant and extradition order issued by Italy for an offence against public order and security, reports Google News ES — Crime.
The Judicial Police Brigade of Tarragona received notice that the fugitive, deemed "highly dangerous", could be residing in a neighbourhood of the city. After verifying the existence of the European arrest warrant, officers organised an operation to locate and arrest him.
The arrest was, according to police, "like something out of a film". The suspect put up fierce resistance and was accompanied by several compatriots who attempted to prevent his arrest. One of them assaulted and injured an officer; he has been identified but has not yet been detained. Another companion fled the scene and threw a Sig Sauer pistol into some bushes, which was seized by the Mossos d'Esquadra.
At police headquarters, the detainee identified himself using false documentation. Under that fictitious identity there was a record in Girona for possession of weapons and explosives. Officers confiscated the documentation and informed him that he could face a suspected charge of document forgery. He was also found to be carrying two counterfeit 500-euro notes.
The judge ordered his remand in custody without bail in solitary confinement at Mas d'Enric prison in Tarragona. Extradition to Italy is pending resolution.
The nickname derives from a history of escapes that began in 2009, when he escaped from a prison in Terni, in central Italy. In 2013 he escaped from a correctional facility in Parma and, that same year, from a Belgian prison using a "human pyramid to scale the walls". His fourth and most recent escape dates from December 2025, when he left a maximum-security prison in Italy by sawing through window bars and abseiling down using knotted sheets.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)