Fugitive Brazilian neo-Nazi arrested in Italy

According to the publication, Correa was arrested by Digos de Milan, an Italian police division specializing in investigations against terrorism and extremism, in collaboration with the Central Directorate of the Prevention Police. After his arrest, he was taken to the Milan Police Station for identification and initial custody procedures.

The capture occurred after an alert from Interpol. Correa must remain imprisoned in Italy while the extradition process to Brazil is processed.

The Brazilian had been sentenced to 35 years and 2 months in prison for the murder of Bernardo Dayrell Pedroso, aged 24, and Renata Waechter, aged 21. The couple was shot dead in 2009, in Quatro Barras, in the metropolitan region of Curitiba.

According to the Public Ministry’s indictment, the crime was motivated by a leadership dispute within the neo-Nazi group. The murder occurred after a party organized to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the birth of German dictator Adolf Hitler.

Correa fled Brazil in March 2025, on the eve of the trial in which he was convicted. According to the information in the case, he was under house arrest with an electronic ankle bracelet and managed to have the equipment temporarily deactivated under the argument that he needed to undergo emergency surgery. He did not attend the trial or the surgery.

In the same case, Jairo Maciel Fischer was also sentenced to 32 years and 3 months in prison. The two were accused of executing the couple in an ambush.

According to the investigation published at the time by the Paraná police, Bernardo and Renata left a neo-Nazi party in the early hours of April 21, 2009. The couple was allegedly lured away from the scene and forced to stop the car on BR-476. He was then approached and shot.

According to the investigation, João Guilherme Correa was identified as the author of the shot that killed Renata. Jairo Maciel Fischer would have shot Bernardo. In statements given years later, the accused said that the shots were accidental, but the Public Prosecutor’s Office maintained the theory of execution linked to the internal dispute over command of the group.

At the time of the investigations, the police seized neo-Nazi propaganda material from the accused, including flags, publications, photos, computers and documents related to the creation of an independent country based on Nazi doctrine.

According to the The PressCorrea arrived in Italy during the European summer of 2025. He would have passed through the commune of Biella, where he rented an apartment, before being located on the farm where he was arrested, close to the border between the provinces of Pavia and Alessandria.

At the time of his arrest, according to the Italian newspaper, the Brazilian presented a false document that was not Brazilian. After initial procedures in Milan, he must be transferred to a prison while Italian authorities analyze the extradition request.

In addition to the double homicide conviction, Correa is also awaiting trial on charges of participating in the Hammerskin Nation. According to the police investigation, he had a leadership role in the Brazilian division of the group.

Hammerskin Nation is an international neo-Nazi network that emerged from white supremacist groups in the United States. According to the The Pressthe organization has connections in several countries, including Italy, and maintains international links with Combat 18, an extremist group classified as terrorist in the United Kingdom and other European countries.

The Italian newspaper reported that Correa’s escape from Italy may have been facilitated by contacts within the international neo-Nazi network itself. The hypothesis is based on the historical presence of leaders and support points of the movement in northern Italy.