Toma Taulant, the "escape wizard", arrested in Tarragona after four breakouts
The 42-year-old Albanian, who escaped four times from prisons in Italy and Belgium, was captured by Spanish police in Catalonia on 23 August.
Serial fugitive Toma Taulant captured in Spain
The fugitive status of Toma Taulant, 42, an Albanian wanted by Italian justice, came to an end in Tarragona, Catalonia. According to Il Fatto Quotidiano - Cronaca, Spanish national police arrested him on Sunday 23 August, although the news was made public only later. At the time of his arrest, investigative sources report that Taulant put up strong resistance to officers.
The man was known as the "escape wizard": during his criminal career he had managed to escape four times from prisons, three in Italy and one in Belgium. His last escape dates to 7 December 2025, when he broke out of the maximum-security prison in Opera, in the Milan area. According to investigators' reconstruction, Taulant sawed through the bars of his cell and lowered himself outside using knotted bedsheets.
After the escape from Opera, international searches were launched. Investigators eventually located the fugitive in Catalonia, where Spanish police proceeded with his arrest. Taulant is now at the disposal of Spanish authorities, whilst procedures are underway for his handover to Italian justice.
Source: Il Fatto Quotidiano - Cronaca