Mark Cameron Roscaler, 39, was incarcerated at the Vale de Judeus jail, some 43 miles (70 km) north of Lisbon, serving a nine-year term for kidnapping and robbery.
According to the Portuguese prison service (DGRSP), the five men, whose ages ranged from 33 to 61, fled early on Saturday morning and were given “external help” by accomplices in the form of a ladder that “allowed the inmates to scale the wall.”.
The National Union of Prison Guards (SNCGP) president, Frederico Morais, called Roscaler “very dangerous” and cautioned people not to approach him or the other prisoners if they encounter them.
With the exception of Shergili Farjiani, all of the detainees were “very dangerous,” according to Luis Neves, national head of the Judicial Police, who also stated that their escape was “very well planned.”
“When I say everything, I mean everything, including the fact that human life may be at stake here,” he warned during a press conference on Sunday, adding that they have “already tried to escape from prison several times” and will stop at nothing to stay free.
