A man sought by Luxembourg authorities and placed on a list of the most wanted criminals in Europe has been arrested in Spain.
Bilal H, now aged 25, was detained on 17 December in Madrid, the Luxembourg police and judiciary confirmed to the Luxemburger Wort.
He had been placed on Europe’s most wanted list in November, part of the European Network of Fugitive Active Search Teams (Enfast) – a network of police officers from 39 countries who cooperate with the aim of tracing and arresting internationally wanted criminals.
Bilal H was sought by Luxembourg for “organised or armed robbery”, following a violent burglary he is alleged to have committed two years ago in Oberkorn, in the south of the Grand Duchy.
The occupant of the home was awakened by the perpetrator “who was in the same room as the homeowner at that moment, jumped onto the bed and assaulted the victim by pressing his hands firmly against his opponent’s face”, Enfast said on its website.
“The victim, who also suffered from asthma, became short of breath, whereupon the perpetrator abandoned his plan and fled,” the post continued.
Since the beginning of the week, his photo has no longer been visible on the ENFAST website. Instead, an anonymous image with the Luxembourg flag and the note “arrested” appears in its place.
Bilal H is no longer on the list of Europe’s most wanted criminals © Photo credit: Screenshot/Enfast
Enfast said last month that the perpetrator of the Oberkorn burglary was “later identified” as Bilal H. It also said that the 25-year-old “holds various alias names, is known for similar crimes in a neighbouring country and might currently be living under a false identity somewhere in Europe”.
According to the judiciary and police, Bilal H is currently in custody in Spain, but Luxembourg is seeking his extradition.
Abdullah Khodor still being sought
Luxembourg public prosecutor’s office is still searching for Abdullah Khodor via the website listing Europe’s most wanted. The 26-year-old is suspected of being involved in an aggravated burglary in Gonderange.
At around midday on 17 December 2017, an 80-year-old woman and her 12-year-old granddaughter were attacked in their home by two perpetrators.
The attackers threatened the victims with knives, stole several pieces of jewellery and a small amount of cash amounting to €204 and destroyed the house telephone to prevent an emergency call.
Two other men, Walid H and Gernot S, who according to the indictment acted as getaway driver and planner of the operation, were sentenced in February 2023 to prison terms of eight and ten years respectively by a Luxembourg court.
The trio had apparently travelled from northern Germany with the aim of carrying out a robbery in the Grand Duchy.
It was also revealed during the trial that Khodor had last been in Turkey. However, the authorities there were reportedly uncooperative, and his current whereabouts are unknown.
According to the wanted notice, Khodor is considered dangerous. Luxembourg police can be contacted with information on his whereabouts anonymously by e-mail at fast.lux@police.etat.lu or via the eumostwanted.eu website.
(This article was originally published by the Luxemburger Wort. Machine translated using AI, with editing and adaptation by John Monaghan.)
