A Formula 1 fan from Liverpool was arrested at gunpoint in the Netherlands after being mistaken for a mafia boss. The 54-year-old, identified only as Mark L, was blindfolded and led away by police in The Hague on Wednesday.
Authorities believed he was Matteo Messina Denaro, a Sicilian crime lord wanted for bombings in 1993 that killed 10 people and injured 93. Denaro, 59, has been in hiding since 1993 and is Italy's most wanted mafioso.
Mark L was in the country to watch the Dutch Grand Prix on 5 September. He was eating at a restaurant with his son when police burst in, carrying a European Arrest Warrant issued by Italian authorities. He was later released after an accelerated investigation proved negative.
His lawyer, Leon van Kleef, described the incident as 'like a bad movie, a nightmare that my client has found himself in.' He added, 'Imagine one moment you are having a bite to eat and the next you are sat in a maximum-security Dutch prison.' Van Kleef noted his client had 'anger and disbelief and laughter because it is ludicrous.'
A spokeswoman for the Dutch Public Prosecutor's Office said Mark L stated he was an English citizen and protested his innocence. The outcome of the investigation 'turned out to be negative,' leading to an immediate release order.
Denaro, also known as Diabolik, is wanted for 50 murders and is considered the 'capo di tutti capi' (boss of all bosses) of the Sicilian Mafia. Van Kleef said Mark L did not wish to be identified and would not comment further.
