Italian authorities have launched a manhunt after a mobster used bed linen to scale down the walls and escape a high-security prison. 

Fireworks were reportedly heard to go off in Marco Radauno’s hometown of Vieste when news of his Hollywood-esque escape first broke (Picture: Italy 24 News)
Fireworks were reportedly heard to go off in Marco Radauno’s hometown of Vieste when news of his Hollywood-esque escape first broke (Picture: Italy 24 News)© Provided by Metro

CCTV of the dramatic escape appears to show Marco Radauno – a leading figure in the Apulia-based Sacra Corona Unita mafia – clambering down the outer wall of the Badu’e Carros jail in Nuoro, Sardinia, using a rope of knotted bed sheets.

The 39-year-old then leaps the last several metres to land on the grass below, before jumping up and sprinting down the road. 

Radauno’s arrest came in 2018 amid a large-scale drug and arms trafficking sting, and had recently received a final prison sentence of 19 years.

When news of his escape broke, there were reportedly fireworks seen in Radauno’s hometown of Vieste, which the town mayor was quick to attribute to an especially raucous birthday party.

Guards only noticed Radauno was missing two hours after he scaled the wall, when he did not return to his cell at the end of a recreational period which often saw him at the prison library. 

Police have launched a wide-ranging search in Sardinia, including roadblocks and extra checks at transport hubs, which have caused flight delays.

Guards only noticed Radauno was missing two hours after he scaled the wall, when he did not return to his cell (Picture: Italy 24 News)
Guards only noticed Radauno was missing two hours after he scaled the wall, when he did not return to his cell (Picture: Italy 24 News)© Provided by Metro
Police have launched a wide-ranging search in Sardinia to find him (Picture: Italy 24 News)
Police have launched a wide-ranging search in Sardinia to find him (Picture: Italy 24 News)© Provided by Metro
Marco Radauno, 39, is a leading figure in the Apulia-based Sacra Corona Unita mafia (Picture: Italy 24 News)
Marco Radauno, 39, is a leading figure in the Apulia-based Sacra Corona Unita mafia (Picture: Italy 24 News)© Provided by Metro

Prison authorities told local press the inmate had allegedly stolen a set of keys which he used to unlock a door leading to the outside wall. He is then thought to have tied the bed sheets to a window before making his descent. 

Union officials reportedly added due to staff shortages, there was only one guard posted to the room from where Radauno stole the keys, meaning the inmate simply had to wait until a shift change before making his move. 

A lack of personnel is also thought to be the reason no-one was watching the surveillance footage, and therefore why it took two hours for guards to notice Raduano had made his escape. 

Sardinian national security union representative Giovanni Villa told Italian media: ‘The prisoner from Puglia escaped in a daring way from one of the safest penitentiaries in Italy. 

‘It seems he had everything ready and that the escape was planned for some time. 

‘We have been denouncing the lack of personnel for months and this is the main factor that compromised security.’

The Badu’e Carros prison is home to more than 30 of Italy’s most dangerous mafia figures, including members of some of the world’s most powerful criminal organisations.

This includes Calabrian-based ‘Ndrangheta clan, Sicily’s notorious Cosa Nostra, and the Campanian Camorra syndicate, which was the basis of hit TV series Gomorrah.

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