Serbian Prisoner Makes Film-Like Escape, and Police Highlight His Distinctive Tattoo

A 35-year-old Serbian prisoner escaped from Duisburg-Hamborn prison by squeezing through a narrow window opening and apparently crossing the roof, according to North Rhine-Westphalia authorities.

The man allegedly removed one of the bars outside his third-floor cell window, although officials said it was not clear how. He may have sawn through it. He then pushed aside a finer security grille and climbed through the gap.

Authorities believe he had earlier climbed from the outside of the building to the fourth floor, overcoming a safety barrier along the roof edge. Police published two photographs of him and a separate image of a tattoo on his arm. They said he had used several identities, some of them false, and that his current whereabouts were unknown.

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The wanted person escaped from Duisburg-Hamborn prison. The suspect previously used various, sometimes false, identities. His current whereabouts are unknown.

Officials identified his surname as Stojanović and described him as 175 centimeters tall, slim and brown-haired. His first name was not released.

The man had been held in custody since Feb. 10 on theft allegations. He was sentenced at the end of May to six years in prison for two burglaries that caused substantial damage, though the sentence has not become legally final. Reports said the stolen goods included valuable jewelry and more than 200,000 euros in cash.

After the escape, officials discovered a cavity beneath the linoleum floor near a wall in his cell. No tools were found inside, but a justice ministry spokesman called it a "clever hiding place."

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Clever hiding place