The National Police have arrested a 36-year-old fugitive from Kazakhstan who was wanted by the German authorities for kidnapping and for violent assault.

The detainee, a very large individual, was admitted to prison on Thursday after an appearance before the National Court through a videoconference held at the Alicante Palace of Justice. Because of his size, which caught the attention of many people, he was guarded by four national police officers.

The arrest took place in a hotel in Ciudad Quesada. Agents from the Fugitive Location Group and the Provincial Brigade of the Judicial Police received information that placed him in Vega Baja. Although he had a home in Torrevieja, the prisoner used to frequent Rojales where he was detained.

The man had been sentenced by a German court in Dortmund to nine years and three months in prison for the kidnapping and extortion of a married couple who were assaulted in their home in the German city of Hamm in 2021.

According to the European arrest warrant, he and three other accomplices entered the home of a couple, wearing balaclavas and carrying a gun, while they were sleeping. They put a firearm to the head of one of the residents as they demanded money and valuables, leaving with gold, silver and about 4,000 euros in cash. They also stole another 1,500 euros that he had in his wallet, his credit cards and a 24,000-euro watch.

The assailants left the victims locked up and fled the house in a car owned by the couple. The vehicle was later abandoned.