Man on run for 16 years arrested after turning up for Olympics ice hockey match

The fugitive was wanted by police in Italy over a series of thefts committed in 2010.

By contributor Associated Press Reporters
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Supporting image for story: Man on run for 16 years arrested after turning up for Olympics ice hockey match
The fugitive was arrested when he turned up support Slovakia, wearing dark blue, at the Olympics (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)

A Slovak fugitive who had been on the run for 16 years was finally arrested when he turned up in Milan to support his national ice hockey team at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, police said Friday.

The 44-year-old man, who was not named, was wanted by Italian authorities for a series of thefts committed in 2010.

The carabinieri managed to track down and arrest the man on Wednesday after he checked into a campsite in the outskirts of Milan, thanks to an automatic alert from the campsite reception.

The fugitive was then taken to Milan’s San Vittore prison to serve a pending sentence of 11 month and 7 days, the carabinieri said.

The man did not manage to see the opening game in which Slovakia’s hockey team beat Finland with a sound 4-1 at Milan’s Santagiulia Arena on Wednesday.