Copenhagen’s railway station was evacuated on Wednesday night after a 46-year-old Syrian prisoner, involved in a major terrorist case in Italy, escaped custody. He is still on the loose.
The man, who had been in Danish custody since January, was to be deported to stand trial in connection with the financing of terrorism in Italy after a court decided to extradite him on July 26th, Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet reports.
According to investigators, the 46-year-old was visited by a 27-year-old who is said to have switched identities with him, and the terror-financing suspect was able to walk out of the prison visiting area to freedom.
“Of course, this is something that must not happen, and that is, of course, deeply regrettable. Therefore, we have also immediately launched an internal investigation to clarify which procedures have failed and how to avoid similar incidents in the future,” said Anne Erlandsen, area director for the Copenhagen probation service.
The man who helped the suspect escape was arrested and then released with investigators saying he will likely be charged for aiding the Syrian.
In Italy, prosecutors claim that the Syrian made millions from asylum seekers and was well-connected to human traffickers.
The money he and others made, according to Italian investigators, went directly to terrorist groups like Islamic State and the radical Islamic organisation al-Nusra, which are said to have received as much as two million euros in total.
“The money has come from human trafficking. The group smuggled migrants through the Balkans to Italy and other European countries,” said Italian counter-terrorism judge Federico Cafiero de Raho.
The 46-year-old is also said to have previously lived in Sweden, which has become a hub for international radical Islam according to Swedish researcher Peder Hyllengren of the Swedish Defence College.
Sweden’s problems with radical Islam have also led some Danish lawmakers to advocate for stronger border controls with the multicultural country to keep Danes safe.