Fugitive arrested in Barcelona

Jamie Rothwell

A man has been arrested in Barcelona on suspicion of conspiring to murder two men in the UK.

Working with the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Greater Manchester Police (GMP), Spanish National Police officers arrested Jamie Rothwell, aged 33, at an apartment block on Sunday morning (May 24).

Rothwell, from Salford, was wanted by Greater Manchester Police and a European Arrest Warrant had been issued in October, 2019.

He was wanted for allegedly conspiring to murder two men and also for two counts of conspiring to commit grievous bodily harm.

NCA investigators and the agency’s international liaison officers in Spain traced Rothwell, and Spanish partners executed the arrest.

Rothwell appeared in a Spanish court yesterday and was remanded.

He will reappear at court to face extradition proceedings at a date to be confirmed.

Matt Horne, NCA deputy director of investigations, said: “The arrest of a fugitive over exceptionally serious allegations is a great result.

“It’s an example of how the agency and our international partners work to protect the public, and even during the coronavirus when there’ve been greater hurdles to overcome, the NCA has remained relentless in leading the UK’s fight against serious organised crime.”

Detective Chief Inspector Carl Jones, of GMP’s Major Incident Team, said: “This arrest is part of Greater Manchester Police’s ongoing investigation in to a dispute between two rival organised crime groups in Salford in 2015.

“Operation Leopard is a collaborative operation which utilises specialists from GMP’s Major Incident Team and Serious and Organised Crime Group.

“This arrest wouldn’t have been possible without an excellent working relationship between GMP, the Crown Prosecution Service, National Crime Agency and the Spanish authorities.”

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