Fugitive from Quebec arrested in Hungary more than three months after escape

MONTREAL — Quebec provincial police say one of the province’s top 10 most wanted criminals has been arrested after he escaped from a minimum security federal detention centre in May.

Police say Yacine Zouaoui, 32, was apprehended in Budapest, Hungary on Tuesday and extradition procedures are underway to bring him back to Canada.

Zouaoui, who was serving an indeterminate sentence for second-degree murder and assault causing bodily injury, was noticed missing from the facility north of Montreal on the night of May 23.

He was convicted in the 2011 fatal stabbing of a 43-year-old man in Burnaby, B.C.

Quebec provincial police say they worked with the RCMP, Correctional Service Canada, Interpol and other partners to make the arrest.

Correctional Service Canada says it is investigating the escape with the provincial police.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2024.

The Canadian Press