Morocco arrests wanted Spanish criminal

RABAT - Moroccan authorities arrested Saturday a Spanish national under an international arrest warrant for multiple criminal cases.

The Directorate General of National Security (DGSN) said the wanted man is sentenced in his country to 58 years imprisonment for “homicide with premeditation, kidnapping, and escape of a penitentiary establishment.”

He escaped last November during his transfer from a penitentiary institution in Madrid to the hospital, making use of violence against elements of the civil guard responsible for the transfer operation, according the DGSN.

He had since been sought by the Spanish authorities who have issued an international search warrant via Interpol.

Nicknamed "El Ruso", "El Rober", he managed to enter Morocco using a passport under a false identity before being spotted in Tetouan, said the DGSN, which hailed the cooperation between the police services of both countries in fighting against all forms of transnational organised crime.