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| Peter Madsen, Who Killed Kim Wall in a Submarine, Briefly Escapes Prison | Peter Madsen, Who Killed Kim Wall in a Submarine, Briefly Escapes Prison |
| (about 13 hours later) | |
| ODENSE, Denmark — Armed with what the police believe was a fake gun and a mock explosive belt, Peter Madsen ran for the gates at the prison outside Copenhagen where he was serving a life sentence for killing the journalist Kim Wall on his homemade submarine three years ago. | ODENSE, Denmark — Armed with what the police believe was a fake gun and a mock explosive belt, Peter Madsen ran for the gates at the prison outside Copenhagen where he was serving a life sentence for killing the journalist Kim Wall on his homemade submarine three years ago. |
| But while he managed to get outside the walls of the prison Tuesday morning, he didn’t get far. Five minutes later and just half a mile away, police officers surrounded and eventually detained him, bringing the prison break to a close. | But while he managed to get outside the walls of the prison Tuesday morning, he didn’t get far. Five minutes later and just half a mile away, police officers surrounded and eventually detained him, bringing the prison break to a close. |
| Mr. Madsen, a Danish inventor, was already notorious after his conviction in the 2017 killing of and dismemberment of Ms. Wall aboard the submarine he built himself near Copenhagen in a case that horrified the nation. | Mr. Madsen, a Danish inventor, was already notorious after his conviction in the 2017 killing of and dismemberment of Ms. Wall aboard the submarine he built himself near Copenhagen in a case that horrified the nation. |
| His escape from Herstedvester Prison, on the western outskirts of the Danish capital, captured the country’s attention again, as photos and television footage emerged on local media of Mr. Madsen surrounded by armed police officers and bystanders shouting abuse at him. | His escape from Herstedvester Prison, on the western outskirts of the Danish capital, captured the country’s attention again, as photos and television footage emerged on local media of Mr. Madsen surrounded by armed police officers and bystanders shouting abuse at him. |
| Mogens Lauridsen, the chief superintendent of the Western Copenhagen police, said at a briefing that in making his escape Mr. Madsen had worn what appeared to be a fake explosive belt and thrown away a “gunlike object” as he fled. | Mogens Lauridsen, the chief superintendent of the Western Copenhagen police, said at a briefing that in making his escape Mr. Madsen had worn what appeared to be a fake explosive belt and thrown away a “gunlike object” as he fled. |
| “We don’t think it was a gun, but it looked like one,” Mr. Lauridsen said. He said the police were quickly able to surround Mr. Madsen, but took extra precautions because of the belt, and he was only taken back into custody several hours later. Further details on the gunlike object and the belt were not immediately available. | “We don’t think it was a gun, but it looked like one,” Mr. Lauridsen said. He said the police were quickly able to surround Mr. Madsen, but took extra precautions because of the belt, and he was only taken back into custody several hours later. Further details on the gunlike object and the belt were not immediately available. |
| Photos and videos posted by Ekstra Bladet, a local news outlet, appeared to show Mr. Madsen seated on the side of the road surrounded by armed police officers with the area cordoned off. Other footage from the scene shows bystanders angrily screaming profanities at Mr. Madsen, and “Drown yourself!” and “You should be dismembered!” | Photos and videos posted by Ekstra Bladet, a local news outlet, appeared to show Mr. Madsen seated on the side of the road surrounded by armed police officers with the area cordoned off. Other footage from the scene shows bystanders angrily screaming profanities at Mr. Madsen, and “Drown yourself!” and “You should be dismembered!” |
| The police said that Mr. Madsen didn’t appear to have received outside help in his escape attempt, but that they were investigating that possibility. | The police said that Mr. Madsen didn’t appear to have received outside help in his escape attempt, but that they were investigating that possibility. |
| Nick Haekkerup, the minister for justice, called the escape attempt “very serious” in a post on Twitter and said that prisoners serving a life sentence “shouldn’t be able to escape.” | Nick Haekkerup, the minister for justice, called the escape attempt “very serious” in a post on Twitter and said that prisoners serving a life sentence “shouldn’t be able to escape.” |
| Mr. Madsen had taken a female prison psychologist hostage, the chairman of the prison workers’ union, Bo Yde Sorensen, told Ekstra Bladet, adding that he had been brandishing what appeared to be a gun. | Mr. Madsen had taken a female prison psychologist hostage, the chairman of the prison workers’ union, Bo Yde Sorensen, told Ekstra Bladet, adding that he had been brandishing what appeared to be a gun. |
| “The weapon was so lifelike that prison guards at the gate didn’t take any chances in relation to the hostage,” Mr. Sorensen told the newspaper. Mr. Madsen’s actions were deemed a danger to the prison worker’s life, prompting a decision to let him out of the gate, he said. | |
| “It’s a decision I support,” he said. “We don’t want to risk anybody getting killed — we have to find people afterward.” | “It’s a decision I support,” he said. “We don’t want to risk anybody getting killed — we have to find people afterward.” |
| Guards followed Mr. Madsen as he fled, but stepped back when he threatened them, the news outlet reported, before the police eventually took him into custody. | Guards followed Mr. Madsen as he fled, but stepped back when he threatened them, the news outlet reported, before the police eventually took him into custody. |
| Hanne Hoegh Rasmussen, the head of the prison, would not comment on the reports of a hostage-taking but said during the Tuesday news conference that no one at the prison had been physically harmed. | Hanne Hoegh Rasmussen, the head of the prison, would not comment on the reports of a hostage-taking but said during the Tuesday news conference that no one at the prison had been physically harmed. |
| “But it’s been very psychologically stressful for everybody involved,” she said. | “But it’s been very psychologically stressful for everybody involved,” she said. |
| Kirsten Schlichting, 78, who lives and works near the prison, spoke with TV 2, a national news network, and described a heavy police presence as officers tried to apprehend Mr. Madsen. | Kirsten Schlichting, 78, who lives and works near the prison, spoke with TV 2, a national news network, and described a heavy police presence as officers tried to apprehend Mr. Madsen. |
| “The only thing I’m worried about is the school which is also close by, but I don’t know if there are students there,” Ms. Schlichting said. “But I’m not afraid. There’s lots of police watching out.” | “The only thing I’m worried about is the school which is also close by, but I don’t know if there are students there,” Ms. Schlichting said. “But I’m not afraid. There’s lots of police watching out.” |
| Mr. Madsen was found guilty of the premeditated killing — equivalent to a murder conviction — of Ms. Wall in 2018 and sentenced to life in prison. A life sentence is rare in Denmark, even in murder cases, but Ms. Wall’s grisly death horrified the nation, and the brutality of the crime made Mr. Madsen’s trial one of the most closely watched in Scandinavian history. | Mr. Madsen was found guilty of the premeditated killing — equivalent to a murder conviction — of Ms. Wall in 2018 and sentenced to life in prison. A life sentence is rare in Denmark, even in murder cases, but Ms. Wall’s grisly death horrified the nation, and the brutality of the crime made Mr. Madsen’s trial one of the most closely watched in Scandinavian history. |
| Ms. Wall, 30, disappeared after meeting Mr. Madsen for an interview aboard his submarine in August 2017. Her body was later discovered dismembered, and Mr. Madsen was arrested and charged with her killing. | Ms. Wall, 30, disappeared after meeting Mr. Madsen for an interview aboard his submarine in August 2017. Her body was later discovered dismembered, and Mr. Madsen was arrested and charged with her killing. |
| Mr. Madsen initially offered a series of shifting explanations about Ms. Wall’s whereabouts, before admitting to dismembering her body and tossing body parts overboard. But he denied killing her. | Mr. Madsen initially offered a series of shifting explanations about Ms. Wall’s whereabouts, before admitting to dismembering her body and tossing body parts overboard. But he denied killing her. |
| Ms. Wall, a freelance journalist who had written for international outlets including The New York Times, graduated from the London School of Economics and received two master’s degrees from Columbia University. She reported from Uganda, Sri Lanka and Cuba, and died only miles from Trelleborg, Sweden, where she grew up. | Ms. Wall, a freelance journalist who had written for international outlets including The New York Times, graduated from the London School of Economics and received two master’s degrees from Columbia University. She reported from Uganda, Sri Lanka and Cuba, and died only miles from Trelleborg, Sweden, where she grew up. |
| “Kim wanted to give a voice to people who didn’t have one,” Joachim Wall, her father, said in a recent interview with The New York Times. “She was always looking for the story behind the story.”A television drama based on the police investigation of her killing premiered in Denmark last month. | “Kim wanted to give a voice to people who didn’t have one,” Joachim Wall, her father, said in a recent interview with The New York Times. “She was always looking for the story behind the story.”A television drama based on the police investigation of her killing premiered in Denmark last month. |
| Martin Selsoe Sorensen reported from Odense, Denmark, and Megan Specia from London. Thomas Erdbrink contributed reporting from Amsterdam and Christina Anderson from Stockholm. | Martin Selsoe Sorensen reported from Odense, Denmark, and Megan Specia from London. Thomas Erdbrink contributed reporting from Amsterdam and Christina Anderson from Stockholm. |