On Thursday evening at around 17:00, ten detainees escaped from Saint-Hubert prison, in the Walloon province of Luxembourg. The facility is a low-security complex. Most of the prisoners were in jail on drug-related charges.
The prisoners reportedly cut the fence at the prison using an angle grinder, which they stole from the prison workshop. According to RTL Info, six of the escaped detainees have already been arrested again.
A group of three escapees were discovered near the former Metropolis nightclub near the N4 regional road in the municipality of Nassogne on Friday morning, roughly ten kilometres away from the jail.
A further two prisoners were arrested in the municipality of Libramont-Chevigny, around 15 kilometres away. A sixth escapee was detained at the local train station. Residents allegedly reported the presence of the escaped prisoners to the local authorities after observing the individuals acting suspiciously.
Needle in a haystack
Four prisoners still remain at large. The police face a significant logistical challenge in finding the remaining prisoners, due to the large rural area surrounding the Saint-Hubert prison.
“We are looking for a needle in a haystack,” said Police Commissioner Olivier Bouchat. “We are trying to pin them down with maps. We are trying to be methodical. The prison is surrounded by nearly 100,000 hectares of forest."
Police from the Sarois-et-Lesse, Famenne-Ardenne, and Centre-Ardenne police zones are currently searching for the suspects with the aid of a helicopter, a drone, dogs, quad bikes, and thermal binoculars.
Related News
- Prison escapee arrested for mugging two women in Ganshoren
- Three inmates escaped from Belgian prisons in 2022
All the suspects are believed to be young adults and do not have known addresses in Belgium. Police indicate that the suspects are not dangerous, but have warned local residents not to leave their car keys lying around. No vehicles were reported stolen overnight.
“I left a patrol around the large wood of Saint-Hubert last night,” Vincent Léonard, commissioner of the Semois-et-Lesse police zone said early this morning. “Apparently, they are reported to still be there. We will continue to patrol the roads. Not in the woods, because they will come out of it.”
The commissioner said that he was confident that the remaining suspects would be caught as they have no food or supplies.
