Norbert Feher alias Igor
Vaclavic, aka 'Igor The Russian', wanted for two murders
committed in Emilia-Romagna in May, was arrested in Spain on
Thursday night.
The arrest came after a shoot-out in El Ventorillo near
Granada in which three people including two members of the
Guardia Civil were killed, Bologna police said.
Spanish media said he had shot dead two police and a
civilian.
Italian police said they had got wind Feher might be in Spain
during the summer.
They said he was travelling between Malaga, Valencia and
Madrid, cities in which he had support for his flight frorm
justice.
This was based on monitoring one of the fugitive's contacts,
as well as his family, investigative sources said.
But the most recent lead had pointed to his taking refuge in
Vienna, the sources said.
Other leads pointed to France, they said.
Feher's extradition to Italy will very likely be suspended
until he has answered for the three murders he allegedly carried
out in Spain, Spanish news agency EFE reported.
El Pais cited Spanish Audiencia Nacional court sources as
saying the Serb will appear Sunday before a judge who will
notify him of the two murders he is accused of in Italy.
Rome has issued a European arrest warrant for Feher.
The widow of one of Feher's victims, barman Davide Fabbri's
widow Maria Sirica, said "I hope he serves his time...even
though this will never be able to cancel my drama".
An Italian forensic team identified the man from his
fingerprints.
Interior Minister Marco Minniti said "thank you to Spanish
authorities, to the Carabinieri and our thoughts go out to the
victims in Budrio and the victims in Spain".
Premier Paolo Gentiloni sent his condolences to Spanish
Premier Mariano Rajoy over the three Spanish people killed in
the shoot-out with the Serbian killer.
He also said his thoughts were with the families of Feher's
two Italian victims.
Bologna chief prosecutor Giuseppe Amato told a press
conference: "the investigative result is exceptional, in my
view".
He said "there was no underestimation, not evn after the
first murder".
Feher, a Serbian suspected of killing two people and thought
to be armed and dangerous on the run was named as Feher in
April, Italian police said after consulting officials
in Serbia where he is wanted for robbery and sexual violence.
The 41-year-old Feher, who also goes by the name of Igor
Vaclavic, under which he was tried in Ferrara some years ago, is
the suspected killer of Davide Fabbri, a 52-year-old who was
shot dead during an attempted robbery at his bar at Budrio, near
Bologna, on April 1, and of a voluntary environmental ranger who
was shot dead near Ferrara a couple of days later.
To escape a manhunt, Italian police said, Feher may have
stolen a boat belonging to a farmer that recently went missing
in the area of the search.
Special police units, helicopters, drones, sniffer dogs and
marksmen were used in the manhunt across the provinces of
Bologna, Ferrara and Ravenna.
The suspect was said to be armed with at least two guns and
around 40 bullets.
A provincial police agent was also seriously wounded in
the shooting on the Mondo Nuova road around 8 km from
Portomaggiore near Ferrara.
Police said Feher was foraging fruit, vegetables and eggs as
he continued to elude his pursuers.
Carabinieri later managed to track him down in Spain, helped
by Interpol and the Guardia Civil.
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