Danish submarine killer Peter Madsen escapes prison before being recaptured by police
- In 2018, Madsen was sentenced in the Copenhagen City Court to life in prison for killing Kim Wall, a reporter who previously worked for the South China Morning Post
- A self-taught engineer, Madsen built rockets in his spare time but never went to university. In 2008, he launched his home-made UC3 Nautilus submarine
The Ekstra Bladet tabloid posted a video of Peter Madsen sitting in the grass with his hands behind his back and police at distance. Police confirmed on Twitter that Madsen had been “arrested and removed from the scene” after being surrounded by police officers, with unconfirmed reports he had threatened them with an explosive device.
Madsen reportedly took a hostage and threatened prison staff with a pistol-like object to force his way out of the facility. It quoted witnesses who said he managed to drive away in a white van before police stopped him.
In 2018, Madsen was sentenced in the Copenhagen City Court to life in prison for killing Kim Wall, a 30-year-old reporter from Sweden who he lured aboard his home-made submarine in 2017 with the promise of an interview. He dismembered her body and dumped it at sea.
Wall worked as an editorial intern and reporter in Hong Kong for the South China Morning Post from June to September in 2013, covering news about China for the national desk. Her work also appeared in The Guardian and The New York Times.
Madsen lost his appeal, shortly after apologising to the victim’s family who were present in the appeal court. The sensational case has gripped Scandinavia.