Barcelona police arrest two 43-year-old men wanted by Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Croatian warrant for document forgery

On 16 October, Guardia Urbana officers in Barcelona detained a man on suspicion of minor threats and damage. When he was taken to Mossos d'Esquadra premises, officers found that the document he had used to identify himself was false, and they began checks to establish his real identity. Those checks showed that Croatian judicial authorities wanted him under a European Arrest Warrant for document forgery. Croatian investigators allege he used forged papers and an assumed identity to fraudulently obtain a personal identification number, and that the case concerns events dating to 2018. The offence carries a penalty of up to ten years in prison, according to the authorities.

Bosnian warrant for a homicide

On 21 October, Mossos d'Esquadra citizen security officers identified a 43-year-old man in Barcelona. When they checked his details, they found that an international arrest warrant issued by the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina was still in force. The warrant relates to a homicide investigated in that country, a case dating to September 2016. Bosnian authorities say the man is presumed to have been involved in the violent death of a person, in an investigation linked to a criminal organisation that carries out kidnappings and extortion. During the arrest, officers also detained him as the presumed author of forging a public document, because he was carrying a false identity card.

Court appearances and timeline

The first man was placed at the disposal of a court on 19 October. The reports name different courts for that appearance: the Central Investigating Court No. 2 in Madrid in one account, and the Audiencia Nacional in another. The second man was placed at the disposal of the duty investigating court in Barcelona on 22 October. The sequence of arrests and court dates is shown below.

What police say

Police describe both operations as part of international police and judicial cooperation mechanisms. They say the operations located two people wanted by foreign authorities over alleged participation in serious crimes and placed both before judicial authorities. The reports do not say whether either man has been handed over to the country that requested him. The statement was issued on 3 November.