Maputo, Mozambique  - A man who gained notoriety for killing a leading Mozambican journalist and then escaping from jail multiple times has been arrested once again in South Africa, reported Mozambican broadcaster STV Monday.

Anibal dos Santos Junior was convicted in November 2000 for leading a death squad that murdered prominent investigative journalist Carlos Cardoso.

According to the broadcaster, quoting sources in South Africa's police and Anibalzinho himself, he was arrested on Friday.

The public TV channel "TVM" has also reporting about the re-arrest of the fugitive.

STV, however, managed to speak via telephone with Anibalzinho from South Africa and aired part of the conversation. In the conversation with STV reporters, a male voice confirms the speaker is Anibalzinho, that he was re-arrested in South Africa and that he is being held in a Pretoria jail.

"I was arrested on Friday", the man said.

However, he disputed a report that he escaped from prison last December.

"I was released by top ranked police officers. I did not escape, and people in Mozambique knows that", he says.

Mozambique's Justice Minister, Benvinda Levi, appeared on both TV channels this afternoon, saying that Mozambique's government has not officially been informed about the arrest by South African authorities.

"We cannot confirm this information. As no official information was made to Mozambique's authorities, we'll be waiting for South Africa's government information on the matter," the minister added.

Anibalzinho allegedly escaped from a Maputo City police command prison in December, along with two other inmates. They had knocked a hole in the prison wall, through which they climbed out.

Anibalzinho was arrested in February 2001 for his role in the murder of journalist Carlos Cardoso.

In September 2002, shortly before his trial, he escaped from the Maputo top security jail and slipped over the border into South Africa.

He escaped again from the same prison in May 2004 and was later jailed in Toronto, Canada. After a legal battle that lasted several months, he was deported, arriving back in Maputo under armed guard in January 2005. This time he was incarcerated in a cell in the City Police Command itself, because it was believed to be escape proof.

He was tried in absentia and sentenced to 28 years and six months imprisonment for killing Carlos Cardoso.  (dpa)