Italian crucifixion killer arrested

Rome, May 9 (IANS) A man suspected of sexually torturing and killing a Romanian prostitute and leaving her body in a crucifixion-like pose in Florence has been arrested, media reported Friday.

Andrea Cristina Zamfir, 26, was found Monday strapped to an iron bar in a pose similar to how Jesus Christ was crucified.

A 55-year-old plumber was arrested late Thursday and confessed to being the so-called crucifixion killer, ANSA news agency reported citing police.

The police identified the man based on reports from a number of women he had raped earlier.

The Florence police chief called him a beast and accused him of at least four other murders in and near the Tuscan city over the last 10 years.

"I'm sorry to offend animals with this comparison but this person is a beast," the police chief said.

Police also said that last year another woman was found in a similar position with her arms attached to an iron bar, but she was alive.