“Greetings from Thailand”, escaped convict sends Belgian prison a postcard

“Greetings from Thailand”.

That was the message on the postcard sent to the directors of a Belgian prison. The sender? The management of Turnhout prison believe the greeting letter was from Oualid Sekkaki, who escaped last month. Sekkaki is one of five inmates who escaped from the Flemish prison in mid-December.

The letter was addressed to the three directors of the prison. In the envelope was his prison badge and a postcard with the words ‘Greetings from Thailand’. Sekkaki escaped from the Belgian prison with four other inmates on December 19, climbing over the prison wall then jumping into in a waiting getaway vehicle. Three of the men were recaptured in a nearby neighbourhood the following evening. A fourth, identified at the time as 38 year old Abderrahim Baghat, was captured by police in the Netherlands.

Monday’s postcard is the first sign of Sekkaki since his escape. Officers of the prison immediately informed police.

Oualid Sekkaki is the brother of the notorious “escape king” Ashraf Sekkaki, who also escaped from Turnhout prison in 2003, and Bruges prison ten years ago, in a hijacked helicopter. Ashraf is currently in prison in Morocco.

There is no indication if Sekkaki is actually in Thailand and Thai authorities haven’t confirmed if they’ve been contacted by Belgian police.

SOURCE: Chiang Rai Times