MOSCOW, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- A martial arts champion who escaped from a mental hospital in Russia has been detained in Norway after applying for asylum there, authorities say.
Vyacheslav Datsik, also known as Tarzan the Redhead, surrendered to Norwegian immigration officials Wednesday and asked for political asylum, the Moscow Times reported.
Datsik, a world heavyweight champion in mixed martial arts, was found guilty by a St. Petersburg court last year of committing several robberies but was sent to a prison psychiatric hospital after doctors deemed him insane.
He was transferred to a regular psychiatric facility in the Leningrad region in July and escaped from it on Aug. 21.
Police have linked him to the robbery of $225 and a cell phone from a local cell phone shop the next day, the Times said.
Datsik is wanted by federal authorities on robbery charges but no Interpol warrant has been issued for his arrest, a St. Petersburg police spokesman said.
