Costa del Sol crime: arrested dangerous fugitive was wanted for kidnapping and mutilation

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The Guardia Civil set up an extensive operation in response to suspicions that his gang was planning to release him during the transfer to the courts

Juan Cano

Málaga

Friday, 20 March 2026, 10:37

Sources have revealed the criminal background of the fugitive who the Guardia Civil arrested in a large-scale deployment in the coastal town of Torremolinos on 15 March.

The French authorities had been trying to locate the 24-year-old criminal of French nationality and Tunisian origin since 2025. According to the search warrant, he was part of a gang that in early 2025 kidnapped a cryptocurrency business owner and his wife.

The gang allegedly held the couple hostages and demanded ten million euros in cryptocurrencies for their release. According to what SUR has learnt, they cut the man's finger off to put pressure on him.

The French police managed to release the hostages and arrest ten of the eleven members of the gang. The Torremolinos detainee managed to escape, but the police had already identified him.

The fugitive kept a low profile in the Costa del Sol, where he lived with his girlfriend. The French authorities, who have not revealed his alleged role in the assault, had been suspecting that he was hiding in Spain.

The investigators discovered that, after arriving in Spain, he passed through various tourst rentals in Valencia, a family member's house in Seville and, finally, Cadiz, before settling in Benalmádena.

According to the Guardia Civil, the fugitive and his partner switched between two flats and only went out at night. The police set up discreet surveillance and waited for the moment to arrest him.

As SUR reported this week, the large operation in Torremolinos on Sunday led to the suspect's arrest. The Guardia Civil deployed several patrols and a helicopter, fearing that the gang was planning to assault the police van and free the fugitive.