VIDEO: British fugitive arrested by the Guardia Civil in the Costa del Sol

The Guardia Civil have arrested two men in Estepona on the Costa del Sol in separate incidents, one wanted in the UK and the other with an active arrest warrant from the Netherlands.

According to an official police press release, they were both detained yesterday (Sunday), they were apprehended in different operations carried out on the Costa del Sol in relation to the search for fugitives.

The first is a 29-year-old British man, only identified by the initials FMR, who is wanted in the UK for a violent robbery after, with an accomplice, he stole a £60,000 Richard Mille watch from a man in Liverpool.

When the victim refused to hand over his watch, the two attackers beat him and then stabbed him several times, which resulted in extremely serious injuries that the victim needed urgent medical treatment for in hospital.

During the attack, the fugitive (FMR) cut his hand badly on the knife he was using, which later led to his identification by Merseyside Police in the UK and him fleeing the country.

This same person was also investigated in Spain for his involvement in a kidnapping case in Mijas in 2022. He is accused of being part of a gang that held their victim against his will to steal his Rolex watch, and planning to collect a ransom for the man’s release.

However, in this incident, their captive managed to flee by jumping from the balcony of the house where he was being held and alerted police.

Crimestoppers:
FMR’s name was included in both the ‘Most Wanted’ list of the British National Crime Agency (NCA) and Crimestoppers, which allows the public to identify fugitives wanted by the UK Police.

The majority of criminals listed are mainly wanted for crimes related to drug trafficking, murder, robbery, and arms trafficking in the United Kingdom, who are suspected of hiding in Spain.

Wanted in the Netherlands:
In another police operation, also in Estepona, the Guardia Civil arrested a citizen of the Netherlands with the initials CAB. He is wanted by the Dutch judicial authorities for crimes of fraud, money laundering and illegal possession of firearms.

According to the Dutch authorities, in 2019 he was part of a criminal organisation dedicated to online scams, which included phishing, with which he affected dozens of victims in the Netherlands.

Both investigations were carried out by the Central Operative Unit of the Guardia Civil in collaboration with the NCA Liaison Office in Spain, and the Dutch Politie respectively.