A fugitive on the run for years is arrested when he turns up at the Olympics to watch hockey
Slovakia's Adam Ruzicka, rear right, celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's fourth goal during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Slovakia and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. Credit: AP/Alexander Nemenov
ROME — 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 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 months and 7 days, according to the carabinieri, Italy's military police.
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.
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