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The airspace above the extra-security prison in Vught will be closed from next Friday due to an increased flight risk. Minister Mark Harbers (Infrastructure and Water Management, VVD) announced this on Tuesday decided, at the request of the Ministry of Justice and Security and Mayor Roderick Jan van de Mortel van Vught. In the prison building are Willem Holleeder and Ridouan Taghi, among others, against whom life sentences were demanded on Tuesday.
The reason for the closure of the airspace is “an increased risk of detainees trying to escape with outside help,” the ministry writes. For example, a helicopter, small aircraft, drone or other aircraft could be used as a flight aid. Detainees cannot escape this way, but the ban also combats the possibility of taking aerial photos of the facility or smuggling weapons or other means by air.
According to the ministry, this is not an acute risk, although bribery, blackmail and extremely violent escape attempts are scenarios that the Custodial Institutions Service takes into account.