Spain's most-wanted robber caught

Portuguese police showed off the Loner's weapons and false beard

The police in Portugal say they have arrested a man described as Spain's most-wanted bank robber.

The man, known as "The Loner", is accused of carrying out more than 30 armed bank robberies in Spain and of killing at least three policemen.

Police said the man, who disguised himself with a dark wig and a false beard to carry out his crimes, had evaded arrest for more than a decade.

His total booty amounted to more than 600,000 euros ($828,000; £402,000).

The Loner's last successful robbery took place in May, when he held up a bank in the Spanish town of Toro.

'Cruel criminal'

Portuguese police said the famous robber was in his trademark disguise when he was caught planning another heist in Figueira da Foz, a coastal town 200km (125 miles) north of Lisbon.

The Loner's disguise became nationally recognisable in Spain after video footage captured by security cameras was released on television.

He also followed a pattern of robbing banks during the late morning and threatening staff with a magnum revolver.

The Spanish authorities said they believed he was connected to the death of at least three policemen, including an officer killed in Vall D'Uixo in May 2000.

Another two officers were shot dead in Navarra in June 2004, reportedly when they attempted to search his car.

"We're very pleased. He's the most wanted criminal in Spain, a very cruel criminal," the Spanish Interior Minister, Alfredo Rubalcaba, told reporters in Lisbon.