Fugitive captured in Barcelona by Spanish Police after 17 years on the run

A WANTED man has been arrested in Viladecans (Barcelona) after a total of 17 years on the run.

The 45-year-old has not been identified by police but he allegedly fled to Italy after being involved in the shooting of two security guards at the Maremagnum leisure zone in Barcelona, seriously injuring one of them.

He is thought to have fled to Italy using false documentation, and maintained a low profile using three different identities to evade capture. He regularly made trips back to Spain but did not leave his home in Barcelona to avoid detection.

Javier Portomeñe, spokesman for the National Police, said the man is a “dangerous” criminal, who was well known to the Italian authorities and was lately related to “drug trafficking and robbery with force.” 

The original incident occurred in 2002 when he, along with a friend, was ejected from a Maremagnum night club in Barcelona. After leaving the scene he reportedly returned with a handgun and shot two of the security guards on the door. One was seriously injured after being shot in the abdomen.

The cooperation between the Spanish National Police and the Italian police managed to discover his fake identities and tracked him down to a family home in Viladecans where he was finally arrested.

He will how face charges of two attempts of homicide, illegal possession of weapons and injuries caused.