Police are intensely searching for a prisoner who escaped from the highest-security prison in Leopoldov, western Slovakia, on Thursday morning at 8:15.
The search area includes the vicinity of the prison, as well as cars passing through Hlohovec. Several dozen police officers and dogs have been deployed, as well as a helicopter.
The police do not believe the man to be armed.
Ľubomír Behan, who is 24 years old, escaped while working on the reparation of the shooting range which is outside the secured part of the prison, Adrián Baláž from the Prison and Justice Guard Corps (ZVJS) said as quoted by the SITA newswire. He was in prison for robbery, sentenced for eight years and eight months.
Behan is about 178 cm tall and slim. He has short blond hair and blue eyes, and has tattoos all over his body. He was wearing prison clothes when he escaped.
The police have turned to citizens to notify them at phone number 158 if they have any information that could help find the prisoner.
There are 18 prisons in Slovakia. Last year, there were no prison escapes and only one attempt to escape was recorded, according to the ZVJS yearbook as cited by TASR.