What's happened
Mark Cameron Roscaleer, a British inmate, is among five prisoners who escaped from the high-security Vale de Judeus prison in Portugal on Saturday. The escape involved external assistance, allowing the inmates to scale the prison wall. Authorities have warned the public about the dangerous fugitives as a manhunt is underway.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to Kevin Rawlinson from The Guardian, the escape was facilitated by external help, with inmates using a ladder to scale the prison wall. Frederico Morais, president of the prison guards' union, emphasized the lack of guards as a critical factor in the escape, stating, "What failed here is the Portuguese state, due to the lack of guards and investment." BBC News corroborated this, noting that the escape happened around 10 AM local time and involved five inmates, including Roscaleer. Sky News provided additional details about the escapees' backgrounds, highlighting their serious criminal histories and the premeditated nature of the escape. The situation has prompted an internal investigation into the prison's security protocols.
How we got here
The escape occurred on September 7, 2024, at the Vale de Judeus prison, which has faced criticism for inadequate security measures. Roscaleer, serving a nine-year sentence for kidnap and robbery, has a history of attempted escapes.
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Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country located mostly on the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the westernmost sovereign state of mainland Europe, being bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the nor