A mayor spotted a frozen man posing as a nativity statue

A fugitive in southern Italy was arrested after hiding in a Christmas nativity scene as a human statue in Galatone, a town in the Puglia region. The 38 year old man from Ghana was discovered in Piazza Santissimo Crocifisso when Mayor Flavio Filoni stopped to admire the display on Saturday. "While I was standing before the nativity scene, lovingly crafted by our Pro Loco, I noticed something I'd initially mistaken for part of the scene," Filoni wrote on Facebook. The mayor said he almost congratulated the organisers on the lifelike figure before realising it was a real person standing perfectly still among the statues. When confronted, the man resisted and reportedly claimed the nativity scene was his home, according to local outlet LeccePrima. Filoni called other officials to intervene. Police identified the man as a wanted fugitive who had escaped a nine month and 15 day prison sentence in Bologna. Even Christmas tradition could not grant him asylum.