Morocco surrenders fugitive wanted for shooting two men over a children's spat in 2015

Authorities in Morocco surrendered a man convicted of shooting two men on a playground in Bergen op Zoom in 2015. The 43-year-old man, Christo H., was convicted in absentia three years later. He was tracked down and arrested in Meknes, Morocco, in August.

"The court found it proven that he shot two men at close range on June 27, 2015. The reason was a children's quarrel," the Public Prosecution Service (OM) reaffirmed on Friday. In December 2018, he was convicted on two counts of attempted manslaughter.

He took off after the shooting, and his whereabouts were unknown to Dutch authorities for years. A joint investigation between Dutch police and their counterparts in Morocco tracked H. down in Meknes. The central Moroccan city southwest of Fez is home to more than a half-million residents.

H. was taken into custody on August 9. At the time, the OM said he was found as the result of "a long investigation and excellent cooperation between the Moroccan police and a team of the Dutch police specially charged with these tasks."

H. arrived at Schiphol Airport on Friday afternoon. He was escorted by the Marechaussee, and was transferred to the DJI, the agency that runs Dutch correctional facilities.

While he was a fugitive, the OM offered a 100,000 euro reward for the key tip that would lead to the man's capture. Since a tip did not lead to his arrest, the money will not be paid.