Thanks to the quick intervention of our local police, state police, and gendarmerie, this person was identified, who turned out to be a wanted fugitive.
In a scene reminiscent of escape methods from cartoons and comedy films, a fugitive from the Italian police tried to hide inside a nativity scene, disguised as one of the three statues.
The man was being sought in the town of Gallatone (southern Italy) when he tried to deceive the officers and make them believe he was part of the life-sized nativity scene, attempting to blend in with the crowd, raising his arms and staying still. However, he was exposed when the mayor noticed slight movement out of the corner of his eye, according to the newspaper "La Repubblica".
Mayor Flavio Filloni said: "As I was passing by the nativity scene, which was set up by our tourism office, I noticed a person whom I initially thought was part of the scene, but suddenly, I saw him move out of the corner of my eye."
The man was immediately arrested by the police and placed in pre-trial detention in Lecce, a nearby city, where he will serve the remainder of his sentence.
The 38-year-old man from Ghana, whose name was not disclosed, was fleeing the police after being convicted of assault and resisting arrest.
He had previously been sentenced to nine months and 15 days in prison by a court in Bologna.
Filloni thanked the police officers for the swift arrest of the wanted man.
