Bold start: A Slovak fugitive, on the run for 16 years, was finally caught just as he showed up in Milan to back his national ice hockey team at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. And this is the part most people miss: the arrest happened because of a routine campsite check-in that tripped an automatic alert, leading authorities to him right away.
Here’s the full picture in clearer terms. A 44-year-old man from Slovakia, whose name isn’t being released, had been wanted by Italian authorities for a string of thefts carried out in 2010. Police in Italy, specifically the Carabinieri, tracked him down on Wednesday after he checked into a campsite on the outskirts of Milan. The alert came from the campsite reception’s automated system, which notified officers of his arrival.
Once located, the fugitive was transferred to Milan’s San Vittore prison to serve a pending sentence of 11 months and 7 days.
As for his Olympic plans, he did not get the chance to see Slovakia’s opening game, in which the Slovak team defeated Finland with a decisive 4-1 score at Santagiulia Arena in Milan on Wednesday.
