Two prisoners attempted to escape from Tongeren prison (Limburg province) on Saturday night, reportedly to spend Christmas with their families.
The inmates tried to lower themselves to the street using bedsheets knotted together. However, they were intercepted while still on a rooftop of the facility. It is believed they used a butter knife and a spoon to dig a hole in their cell wall, according to a report by Het Belang van Limburg which was confirmed by the police.
The prison guards raised the alarm after observing suspicious movements outside the cell walls on the surveillance system. Police were called and managed to apprehend the two prisoners before they could escape. The inmates have since been transferred to other penitentiaries for security reasons to serve the remainder of their sentences of 15 and 18 months.
No violence was used, and no one was injured during the escape attempt. Therefore, the prisoners are not facing additional penalties. They may, however, be punished for causing damage to the building.
Tongeren prison houses adult detainees who are not permitted to stay in Belgium and fall under the jurisdiction of the prisons division of the Ministry of Justice.
