Greek authorities have arrested one of Australia’s most wanted fugitives, James Dalamangas, ending a 27-year manhunt over a fatal 1999 stabbing in Sydney, officials have said.
Mr. Dalamangas, 55, was detained Sunday near the village of Alsos in the Peloponnese during a coordinated operation based on Interpol intelligence.
Officers from the Aigialeia Security Division stopped his vehicle and initially encountered him under a false identity before fingerprint analysis confirmed his identity.
Police said Mr. Dalamangas had been living in Greece for years under the alias “Antonis Tzimas,” working as a farmer. A subsequent search of his residence uncovered a crossbow, arrows, multiple knives and 13 mobile phones.
Australian authorities have sought Mr. Dalamangas since April 1999, when he allegedly fatally stabbed Greek-Australian George Giannopoulos outside a nightclub in Sydney.
Mr. Giannopoulos, a father of two, was attacked while attempting to intervene in a dispute. Mr. Dalamangas is believed to have fled Australia within a day of the incident.
The New South Wales Police Force confirmed it is working with Greek authorities to advance extradition proceedings.
Mr. Dalamangas was brought before a prosecutor in Patras on Monday.
The arrest marks a significant development in a long-running international case and follows renewed cross-border cooperation between Greek and Australian law enforcement agencies.