The National Police have arrested in Tarragona a man wanted on a European arrest and extradition warrant issued by the Italian justice system. The detainee is accused of crimes against public order and security and is known by the nickname "Master of Escapes" due to his four previous escapes from correctional facilities.
The most recent escape occurred in December 2025 from a maximum-security Italian prison. An investigation by the Judicial Police located the fugitive residing in a neighborhood of Tarragona, which led to the organization of an operation for his arrest. The judge has ordered provisional detention without bail and incommunicado at the Mas d'Enric penitentiary center.
Police sources have described the man as "very dangerous". During the arrest, he resisted and was neutralized. One of his companions attempted to prevent the apprehension and assaulted two police officers, who sustained injuries. This individual is awaiting arrest for a crime of assaulting a law enforcement officer.
Subsequently, the Mossos d'Esquadra reported that another of the companions, who managed to flee the scene, had discarded a Sig Sauer pistol among some bushes, which was recovered by the officers.
At the police station, the detainee identified himself with false documentation. Under this false identity, he had a prior record in Girona for possession of weapons and explosives. Among his belongings, two 500-euro banknotes were seized, showing signs of being counterfeit.
The "Master of Escapes" had previously escaped: in 2009 from a prison in Terni (Italy), in 2013 from Parma (Italy), and from a Belgian prison using a "human pyramid". His earliest recorded escape was in 2005, when he sawed through window bars and descended using knotted sheets.
