Five inmates escaped this Saturday from the Vale de Judeus Prison Establishment in Alcoentre, in the district of Lisbon, triggering an alert among security forces.
The information was confirmed by Frederico Morais, president of the National Union of Prison Guards.
The alert was given around noon, reporting the escape of five inmates from this high-security prison. Two are of Portuguese nationality, one Argentine, one Georgian, and the other is English.
One of them is known to the authorities as the ‘Terror of the Algarve’, a region where he allegedly committed various crimes, including drug trafficking and robberies.
The escape put security forces on alert in various parts of the country – including prison guards “both off-duty and on-duty”, professionals who are working to find the inmates.
The Directorate-General for Reintegration and Prison Services (DGRSP) has been contacted for comment, and a response is awaited.
[News updated at 3:04 PM]