Two dangerous inmates at Hallby, a high-security prison near Sweden’s Eskilstuna, held a pair of prison guards hostage for about nine hours on Wednesday and demanded pizza as ransom. The prisoners have been identified as 24-year-old Haned Mahamed Abdullahi and 30-year-old Isak Dewit.
A spokeswoman for the prison administration, Stina Lills, told AFP that the guards were released after 20 pizzas were delivered to the inmates. None of them was “hurt” but after the traumatic incident they were sent back home to their families, she added.
Another prison official, Torkel Omnell, informed that Haned and Isak are serving their time in the prison, which is about 70 miles west of Stockholm, for murder. According to the official, the shocking incident took place at around 12.30 pm local time (1030 GMT) when the two managed to force themselves into an area that is reserved for the guards. At that time, two guards were present in the area. The men were armed with razor blades and locked themselves in with the guards.
As soon as the news spread in the entire prison, the officials called the police and meanwhile, “sent in a mediator” to negotiate. According to the local media reports, the prisoners offered to free the guards only if a helicopter is provided to them to help them escape the prison and 20 pizzas are delivered to all their fellow inmates. Though they did not get a helicopter, the officials delivered the pizzas to every prisoner, said the jail spokeswoman.
After the inmates received their meal, the two hostage-takers released the guards. Subsequently, the special unit police forces took the two to the police station of the area where cops further questioned them. The prison department has called the entire hostage drama a very dangerous situation.
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