Another "only in Belgium story"

Escaping prisoners rob banks in Belgium

Three men on the run after escaping from a Belgian prison are reported to have carried out no fewer than four bank robberies since their escape on July 23, said VRT news on Saturday.

Ashraf Sekkaki and his two accomplices have been identified on CCTV footage from four small banks that were robbed earlier this week. The banks were all robbed in the same way by three masked men. In all four cases, the robbers made their escape in a small black car, said VRT news.

A clerk at one of the banks that was robbed recognized Sekkaki and Abdelhaq Melloul-Khayari. The two are also clearly recognizable on video footage of the robbery of a bank in Retie, Antwerp province. The third fugitive, Mohammed Johri, is believed to be the driver of the getaway car.

The three men made their escape from a high security prison in Bruges on board a hijacked helicopter. They later hijacked a car in the East Flemish town of Aalter. Although the car was later found, the fugitives are still at large.