One of Europe’s most wanted arrested for murdering priest, injuring nun

The suspect faces life imprisonment for these crimes. / Credit: Pixabay

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 27, 2024 / 14:39 pm (CNA).

Spain’s National Police have arrested one of Europe’s Most Wanted fugitives, a man accused of murdering a Catholic priest and injuring a nun in August 1991 in the town of Paloznak, Hungary.

According to a police statement posted Nov. 25 on their website, the man, who was not identified by name, was arrested in Girona province in the Catalonia region of Spain.

The fugitive had two European Arrest Warrants (EAWs) issued, one for aggravated homicide in Hungary and the other for violating traffic safety laws in Romania. In addition, a warrant was issued for theft in Hungary. The suspect faces life imprisonment for these crimes, the text states.

The man lived in a quiet area “and took multiple security measures before leaving his home, which is why the agents had to pose as park and garden maintenance workers in order to arrest him, the police statement notes. 

After the EAWs were issued, Spain’s National Police began the investigation in May, finding that the accused had passed through the Spanish province of Huelva and that he did everything in his power to try to go unnoticed, such as using apps to avoid connecting with cell towers when contacting other people.

In mid-November, police officers found him in Girona province and set up an operation to finally arrest him in public when he was going to get into his car.

The crimes

The police report states that in August 1991, in Paloznak, Hungary, “the suspect, together with other individuals, broke into a parish [building] in the city to steal valuables found there.”

At the scene “they surprised the priest who ran the parish (an elderly man) while he was sleeping and, after tying him to a chair and aggressively assaulting him, he died.” They also tied up and assaulted “a nun, also elderly (…) Although the woman survived the assault, she was seriously injured.”

According to Spanish media, the man arrested by the police in the town of Santa Coloma de Farners in Girona province, one of the most wanted in Europe, is Viorel Nae, a 55-year-old Romanian who is believed to be one of those who participated in murdering Father Gyula Csontos during the robbery that occurred more than 30 years ago.

According to El Caso online news, the nun who was injured during the incident died about 23 years ago. After being beaten, she supposedly told the criminals where some valuable things were that were ultimately stolen.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.