One of the most wanted fugitives in the United Kingdom arrested in Spain

A coordinated operation between the British and Spanish security forces has led to the arrest in Malaga of Mark Francis Roberts, one of the most wanted criminals on the run in the United Kingdom, the British National Crime Agency (NCA) reported on Thursday..

Civil Guard agents arrested Roberts, 29, who fled seven years ago and is accused of attempted robbery and causing serious bodily harm on Wednesday night in the town of Estepona..

The detainee, who remains in custody pending the development of the extradition procedure, allegedly tried to rob a man of a watch valued at 60,000 pounds (69,000 euros).. His last known address to British security forces was in Fairfield, west of Liverpool..

Merseyside Police (Liverpool) believe that Roberts was involved in an attack on 30 September 2016 in which two people armed with a knife approached a man who had just parked in front of his house, after midnight..

The victim resisted handing over his watch and suffered serious injuries for which he was admitted to intensive care and was close to ending his life, the NCA said.. “Roberts' arrest occurred thanks to a persistent campaign to track him down and the great work of the Civil Guard,” Steve Reynolds, head of the British agency for Spain, said in a statement..

“Working together with our colleagues both at home and abroad, including our much appreciated Spanish partners, we will continue to hunt down fugitives,” Reynolds added..

Last February, the NCA appealed to the Spanish public to help find seven of the country's most wanted fugitives who were suspected of being hidden in Spain, including Roberts.

The released list is made up of seven men who are suspected of having some connection in Spain, and there are even clues to some that they may be or have been in specific places such as Marbella or other places on the Costa del Sol..