Britain's 'most wanted' arrested in Amstelveen

Thursday 10 September 2009

A 47-year-old man described as one of Britain's 'most wanted' has been arrested in Amstelveen, living under a false name.

Noel Cunningham was caught shoplifting and identified himself with a passport which proved to have been stolen, the AD says. He had been on the run for six years.

Cunningham escaped from a prison van on June 10, 2003, while on his way to court to face charges of conspiring to steal £1.25m from a Securicor van, the Daily Mail newspaper says.

The van was ambushed by two armed men, who shot one prison guard and beat another, the paper says. Cunningham escaped with his accomplice Clifford Hobbs. He was recaptured and jailed for life last year.

According to news agency ANP, Cunningham will appear in a Dutch court on Friday to face extradition proceedings.

European efforts

The AD reports that European police forces are to take action to track down wanted criminals in the Netherlands, which is known as a popular hide-out, especially for British crooks.

Last year, 456 Europeans were extradited from the Netherlands to their home countries. There have also been a number of high-profile arrests, including several Italian mafia leaders.

© DutchNews.nl

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