A MIGRANT on the run from the police tried to blend into a Christmas nativity scene, pretending to be one of the Three Wise Men.
The 38-year-old migrant from Ghana was fleeing the cops after being hit with a conviction for assault and resisting arrest.
He had previously been sentenced to nine months and 15 days in prison by a court in Bologna, Italy.
Having avoided the law as far as the small town of Galatone in southern Puglia, he tried his best to blend into the festive scene.
To his disappointment, the fugitive was eventually discovered by none other than the town’s mayor.
The mayor realised something wasn’t quite right when he noticed the smallest of movements out of the corner of his eye.
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Images show him stood in the background of the nativity scene in Piazza Crocifisso with his arms held aloft.
The wanted man was doing his very best to imitate the other life-size statues positioned alongside him.
He can be seen wearing a jacket and coat entirely different to those stood next to him.
Mayor Flavio Filoni said: “While I was walking past the nativity scene, which set up by our tourism office, I noticed a figure which I initially though was part of the scene.
“But then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the figure moving.”
After seeing through the ruse, the police promptly arrested the unnamed individual.
He has since been remanded in custody in the nearby city of Lecce.
This is where he will serve the entirety of his sentence.
The mayor then took to social media to thank the police forces for their service: “Thanks to the swift intervention of our local police, the state police and the Carabinieri, it was possible to identify this person, who it turned out was a wanted fugitive.
“A big thank you to all men and women who uphold our security with competence and dedication.”
The traditional nativity scene is something very important to the Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.
In a social media video a few years ago, she came down heavily on suggestions that the nativity or any other Christmas traditions should be considered offensive to people of other religions.
“Our identity and our traditions are under attack,” Meloni said.
She urged Italian families to ensure their children continue to learn about the tradition of nativity figures despite backlash.
More recently, the Italian leader drew the admiration of Donald Trump, who called her a “fantastic woman” who had “taken Europe by storm”.
This comes after a leaked document suggested the US would aim to draw four countries from the EU, including Meloni’s Italy.