What is it like to look too similar to a "gangster" and be mistakenly arrested by the police?
A man in the Netherlands had this happened. Because he was too much like a leader of the Italian mafia, he was arrested in a restaurant and held in a heavily guarded prison.
After checking with the Italian side, the Dutch prosecutorial authorities found that the wrong person had been arrested and immediately released the man.
Looks like a mafia leader and is caught in a restaurant
Heavily armed police broke into a restaurant in The Hague, The Netherlands, and a man was taken away, handcuffed and blindfolded by the police, and the surrounding staff and customers were shocked by what was happening in front of them. "Suddenly there were 7 police cars parked in the restaurant and I saw a police officer with a gun, which was so scary." The restaurateur said.
Dutch media reported on the 10th that this scene occurred on September 8, local time, and the man named Mark L, from Liverpool, UK. He was arrested because the police believed the man was Mateo Messina de Naro, a leader of the Sicilian mafia who had been on the run since 1993.
Since the police did not have Matteo's profile picture, they mistakenly thought that Marc L is Matteo, who has been on the run for many years. After being taken away by the police, Mark L was transferred to a heavily guarded prison in the Netherlands. When the police interrogated Mark L, he replied, was having dinner with his son at a restaurant. He came to Zandvoort in the Netherlands to watch the Formula One Championship. The day after his arrest, Amsterdam lawyer Leon Van Clive received a call from the police station. He was told that there was a man named Matteo Messina de Naro who wanted Leon to be his lawyer. "I had never heard of the name, and when I heard it, I had to google it and then went to the police station in a skeptical mood." Leon said.
Mark M L (left) and computer simulation of Matteo Messina de Naro (right) now have their heads.
Mark M L (right) and a computer-simulated head of Matteo Messina DeNaro (left).
Leon saw Mark L, when he realized that the police had arrested the wrong person, it was his old friend who was arrested. He immediately informed Dutch prosecutors that there was an identity error in the police arrest.
The man who was wrongly arrested may claim compensation for the oolong incident
Is it also a mistake to look like it? Leon questioned the police, saying that if his client had been on the run for many years, whether he could compare it with his previous fingerprints. Police said that because Matteo had not been caught, Matteo did not have fingerprints at the police station and could not be compared. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that Mark L's suspicions.
At the same time, the police have raised another possibility. Police asked Leon if Matteo had started a new life in Liverpool under another name. Leon said: "I have contacted my client's family. His wife was frustrated at first when she heard the news, but then laughed and thought it incredible. If the person in question is a Sicily mafia leader, then I am the Pope. ”
Dutch prosecutors said the operation was based on an international arrest warrant issued by Italy. After checking with Italy, it was found that the wrong person was arrested, and the man was immediately released.
Although the current Mark L has been released, but Leon said, "The arrest was like a movie with a bad ending, and it sent my client into a nightmare." He added that while the police warrant is still in force, revoking the warrant now "is just a formality."
Mark M L may claim compensation in connection with this Oolong incident.
Doubts
Who the hell is this mafia leader?
Italian man Matteo Messina De Naro is the country's most notorious mafia leader who controls a £115 billion global criminal syndicate. Nicknamed "The Devil," Matteo is believed to be directly linked to more than 50 murders and is ranked among the "World's Top Ten Most Wanted Criminals."
According to the data, Matteo was born into a mafia family in 1962, armed with a gun at the age of 14, killed at the age of 18, assassinated the leader of a hostile organization in 1993, and later killed his pregnant girlfriend. Matteo was also involved in the kidnapping and killing of 11-year-old boy Giuseppe di Mateo in order to prevent his father from testifying in court. On April 11, 2006, Matteo's superior, Bernardo Provinzano, was arrested, and Matteo became the undisputed "number one man."
Matteo organized several serious attacks, assassinating a judge investigating the mafia, Giovanni Falcone, and an attack on a historic site in Italy that killed 10 people and injured 93 others.
Matteo has been hiding in the dark because of the police's wantedness, but this has not prevented him from committing evil deeds, and in 2016, Matteo officially became the leader of the mafia.
Italian police have organized several searches against Mateo, and in 2017, more than 200 police officers searched for as many as 30 suspicious areas and homes, caves and bunkers, but no trace of Mateo was found.
Text/Xiaoxiang Morning News correspondent Liu Jie