2023-10-06 15:37:55
The police abandoned after a few hours search operations aimed at catching a fleeing detainee along the E19 motorway, near Mechelen, on Friday, the federal police said. The man, who fled during his transfer from Marche-en-Famenne prison to the closed center for people residing illegally in Merksplas, in the province of Antwerp, had finished serving his sentence and was to be returned to Algeria, his country of origin.
The precise circumstances of his escape are still under investigation, police said. However, no injuries were reported and the man was probably not armed. The transfer was carried out by the Immigration Office. The inmate had finished serving his sentence for acts of theft and rebellion, the police said.
A large police deployment was underway on Friday afternoon on the E19 motorway near Mechelen, after a detainee escaped during his transfer, the federal police said.
From Marche-en-Famenne, the prisoner was to join the closed center for illegal residents in Merksplas, in the province of Antwerp.
The search operation is being carried out jointly by the federal police and local police zones. The police did not wish to provide further details on the circumstances of the escape and did not specify whether there were any injuries.
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