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One of five inmates who staged a spectacular escape from a high-security prison near Lisbon a month ago has been recaptured in Morocco, however, a British prisoner described as “very dangerous” is still on the loose.
Brit Mark Cameron Roscaleer, 39, has been serving a nine-year sentence in the Vale de Jedeus jail after committing kidnap and robbery. He was among five inmates who have escaped from the high-security prison.
Portuguese police said on Monday, while the other four remain at large, Moroccan authorities arrested Fabio Loureiro, 33, late on Sunday in Tangier.
He will appear before a judge in Morocco before his extradition to Portugal to serve the rest of a 25-year prison sentence for armed robbery, drug trafficking, extortion and other crimes, police said.
On September 7, the five convicts escaped from Vale de Judeus prison during visiting hours, when the guards were busy, with the help of a long ladder provided by an accomplice on the outside.
The other fugitives have been named as Fernando Ferreira, 61, Rodolf Lohrmann, 59, and Shergili Farjiani, 42.
They were serving sentences including drug trafficking, kidnapping, money laundering and theft.
At the time of the breakout president of the National Union of Prison Guards Frederico Morais described Roscaleer as “very dangerous” and advised that he and the four others should not be approached.
“They managed to jump a net because there are no guards to watch the perimeter... put the ladder against the wall and, from there, with a handmade rope, they climbed over the wall,” he said.
Speaking to the Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Notícias, the national director of the Judicial Police, Luis Neves, said the escape was “very well prepared”.
He told a news conference that the group had already tried to escape from prison, and added: “When I say everything, I mean everything, including the fact that human life may be at stake here.”
The prison guards’ union has long been flagging what it sees as inadequate staffing and security at the prison with a capacity for 560 inmates, especially since the watchtowers were torn down and replaced with video surveillance.
