Nine inmates are now known to have absconded from Berlin’s Ploetzensee prison between Christmas and New Year, Berlin’s Justice Senator Dirk Behrendt said on Tuesday.
The men either broke out or absconded from the open prison, Behrendt, from the German Green party, said.
On Thursday, four prisoners aged between 27 and 38 managed to break through a wall with the aid of an angle grinder and a hammer.
One of these four turned himself in on Tuesday and has now been transferred to a facility with higher security measures, Behrendt wrote earlier on Twitter.
On Friday, officials announced another man had not returned from a day release programme.
Two other prisoners escaped through the window of a neighbouring cell on Monday, although one of these returned the same evening.
The most recent announcement states that one prisoner also absconded on Saturday, and another on Sunday, from the prison in the north-west of the German capital.
However, these were not “classic” breakouts, Behrendt said.
It is unclear whether the men failed to return after an approved outing, or if they secretly sneaked out of the prison.
The security measures in the open prison, which allow prisoners to work outside the facility during the day, are far less stringent than in a normal prison.
Of the nine prisoners, who have absconded in recent days, two have now returned, with seven still at large.(dpa/NAN)
