Art thief's disguise not artful

Oslo - Police recaptured the man who stole Edvard Munch's masterpiece The Scream, disguised in a blond wig and wearing dark sunglasses…

Oslo - Police recaptured the man who stole Edvard Munch's masterpiece The Scream, disguised in a blond wig and wearing dark sunglasses, 12 days after he escaped during a prison outing to the local airport.

Paal Enger, sentenced to 6 1/2 years in jail for the 1994 theft of the painting of an anguished, wide-mouthed figure, was caught late on Monday at Moss train station south of Oslo on his way to Copenhagen.

"He was disguised, but it was actually a fiasco," Mr Jon Granrud, officer in charge at Moss police station, said yesterday. "The disguise wasn't good enough. People recognised him."

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter