Andrea Cavallari, one of those convicted for the Corinaldo massacre and a recent fugitive who escaped after attending his university thesis defense, has been apprehended in Spain. Cavallari was captured on the street in Barcelona late Tuesday morning.
Cavallari was arrested around 10:00 AM while preparing to leave a hotel in Lloret de Mar, a popular tourist resort on the Catalan coast. He had been staying there under a false name with forged documents, according to investigative sources from the Barcelona police cited by ANSA. Close cooperation between Barcelona police and the Italian Carabinieri ended his two-week flight.
Cavallari, convicted for the Corinaldo massacre, escaped on July 3rd after being granted a temporary release to defend his Law degree thesis at the University of Bologna. He subsequently fled to Spain, crossing the border by land to avoid police checks. After moving through Barcelona and surrounding areas – where he left traces intensively followed by investigators over the past weekend – he relocated to Lloret de Mar, checking into a hotel using his alias and fake ID.
As he attempted to check out of the hotel around 10:00 AM, Italian and Spanish police launched their operation. Investigators stated Cavallari was caught by surprise during check-out and offered no resistance at the time of his arrest. He was unarmed but found carrying numerous counterfeit banknotes; authorities are currently investigating their origin.
The Barcelona police highlighted the crucial collaboration with Italian law enforcement that led to the fugitive’s capture, crediting the effective action of the liaison officer for judicial cooperation between the two countries.
Andrea Cavallari will be presented tomorrow to a judge at Central Court number 3 of Spain’s Audiencia Nacional. The judge is expected to order his pre-trial detention in prison pending extradition procedures to Italy, which could take between 10 and 30 days.
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA