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Taulant Toma, notorious ‘escape artist’, arrested in Spain
Spanish National Police have arrested Taulant Toma, an Albanian national known as the ‘escape artist’ or ‘mago della fuga,’ in Tarragona. Toma was wanted under a European arrest warrant issued by Italian authorities.
Toma has a notorious history of escaping from four different prisons across Europe. His previous escapes include facilities in Terni and Parma, Italy, and a prison in Belgium, where he reportedly used a ‘human pyramid’ to scale walls. His most recent escape occurred in December 2025 from a maximum-security prison in Opera, near Milan, where he sawed through window bars and descended using knotted bedsheets.
During the arrest in Tarragona, Toma reportedly offered strong resistance. The operation involved several of his compatriots who attempted to interfere with the police, resulting in two officers being injured. Authorities also seized false identity documents and counterfeit 500-euro notes. Toma, who was serving a sentence for crimes including robbery and drug trafficking that was set to end in 2048, has been remanded in custody pending extradition to Italy.
Entities
Campclar · Europol · Italy · Mas Enric Prison · Milan · Opera Prison · Policía Nacional · Spanish National Police · Tarragona · Taulant Toma · Toma Taulant