A killer who became infamous after brutally murdering a Swedish journalist on his self-built submarine has been captured after he escaped prison.
Peter Madsen was armed with a fake gun and bomb belt when he took a psychologist hostage in a bid to flee Herstedvester Prison in Denmark, local police said on Wednesday morning (Australian time).
Footage of the lead-up to his capture showed police dogs and officers pointing their weapons and bystanders shouting abuse at the notorious killer.
Madsen is two years into a sentence for murdering, sexually mutilating and dismembering journalist Kim Wall, whom he had attacked aboard his home-made submarine in Copenhagen harbour.
Ms Wall, a freelance journalist who wrote for The New York Times, The Guardian and other publications, was on Madsen’s submarine in August 2017 to interview him.
Her remains were found in plastic bags on the Baltic Sea bed weeks later, and her torso was found stabbed multiple times.
It was a crime that shocked the nation, and made worldwide headlines.
Madsen has attempted to appeal his conviction, claiming various conflicting alternative theories around Ms Wall’s death.
His taste of freedom on Tuesday night lasted just five minutes. Madsen was arrested less than a kilometre from the prison, five minutes after police were alerted, police chief Mogens Lauridsen said.
When police found him, Madsen had forced his way into a van. He was pulled out by officers and handcuffed.
Peter Madsen and his homemade submarine Nautilus. Photo: Getty
During the arrest officers noticed a belt around his torso and moved to a safe distance, suspecting it might contain explosives.
“Nothing indicates that the belt contained explosives,” Mr Lauridsen said.
Police believe Madsen planned the escape alone.
No employees at the prison nor any police officers were injured during the escape or arrest, authorities said.
Justice Minister Nick Haekkerup said in a tweet after Madsen’s recapture that the ministry was planning new measures to prevent future prison breaks.
-with AAP
