Spanish police have arrested a fugitive dubbed the “Master of Escapes” after he allegedly broke out of prison four times across Europe. The man, who was wanted by Italian authorities under a European arrest warrant, was arrested in Tarragona, northeastern Spain, after police tracked him to a neighbourhood where he was believed to be living.

His latest escape reportedly occurred in December from a maximum-security prison in Italy. Police said he sawed through window bars and used knotted bedsheets to lower himself from the facility. He had previously escaped from prisons in Terni and Parma in Italy, as well as a prison in Belgium, where he allegedly used a human pyramid with fellow inmates to scale the walls.

Spanish authorities said the fugitive resisted arrest when officers moved in, while several people accompanying him allegedly attempted to interfere. One of them reportedly injured two police officers. At the time of his arrest, the man was allegedly carrying false identification documents and two €500 notes suspected to be counterfeit.

A Spanish judge has ordered the suspect to remain in provisional custody without bail while extradition proceedings to Italy are considered. Spanish authorities described him as dangerous but did not initially disclose his identity or the offences for which he had been imprisoned.