One of Britain’s most wanted fugitives has been remanded in custody in Romania for two weeks while UK authorities prepare extradition papers.

Shane O’Brien, the suspected killer of 21-year-old Josh Hanson who was stabbed to death in a bar in Hillingdon, west London, in 2015, was arrested in Cluj-Napoca on Saturday.

He appeared at the town’s Court of Appeal on Sunday and was remanded in custody for 15 days for legal processes to bring him back to the UK to begin, the Metropolitan Police said.

The National Crime Agency, which has worked with the Met in the hunt for O’Brien, tweeted a video clip of him lying on the ground as he was finally arrested.

O’Brien is thought to have left the UK shortly after Mr Hanson was stabbed in RE Bar in Eastcote in October 2015, flying on a private jet from Biggin Hill Airport in south-east London, landing in Germany.

It is believed he spent time in the Netherlands, Dubai and at least seven months in Prague, where he may have had a string of affairs with women and spent time in boxing clubs, gyms and nightclubs.

Police photos taken at the time show he had changed his appearance, having longer hair and a beard, and a new, large tattoo of an owl holding a skull that covers a large portion of his back.

It covered a distinctive tattoo that he had previously, that read “Shannon 15-04-06”.

Josh’s mother, who has long campaigned for help tracking down O’Brien, thanked lead investigator DCI Noel McHugh in the wake of the arrest.

She said on Twitter: “Today on the 23rd of March 2019 and after 3 and a half years of waiting today is Josh’s day”.