In the evening of 14 December, the Spanish Guardia Civil apprehended a dangerous and armed fugitive, a Serbian national nicknamed “Igor the Russian”, in the Province of Teruel, Spain. A shooting occurred during the arrest, and two officers of the Guardia Civil and a third Spanish citizen tragically died as a result.
The arrested fugitive was sought by the Italian Authorities for two murders and other serious crimes committed in Italy. The Public Prosecution Office of Bologna, which coordinated the Italian investigation carried out by the Italian Carabinieri, sought the support of the judicial and law enforcement authorities of Spain, Serbia, Austria and France to identify the fugitive’s whereabouts and apprehend him. Their fruitful collaboration and mutual support was instrumental to Thursday’s apprehension.
In particular, the Italian and Spanish authorities formed a close partnership to secure the arrest of this dangerous fugitive, coordinated by Eurojust and supported by the Italian Central Directorate for Anti-drugs Services (Direzione centrale per i Servizi antidroga – DCSA).
Within the framework of this close cooperation, the Italian and Spanish authorities exchanged several rogatory letters, shared operational information and organised technical and operational activities on Spanish territory.
