Dutch fugitive wanted for child sex abuse arrested in Spain

A fugitive man from the Netherlands was arrested in Tortosa, Spain, on Wednesday after being convicted of sexual abuse of a child. The Dutch justice department had issued a European arrest warrant 24 hours earlier.

The crimes that the man was wanted for happened in 2020, when he sexually abused a child. He fled to Spain after he had been convicted for it, Spanish police said.

Through information from the Dutch FAST, the Public Prosecution Service, and the police team for the investigation of convicted fugitives, the Spanish investigators discovered that the fugitive was staying in the province of Tarragona.

The Dutch abuser was tracked down after the investigation. The police arrested him on a public road 24 hours after the Netherlands distributed the European arrest warrant.

He has now been handed over to the investigating judge, who will decide on his extradition.