Karamuço recounts Alket Rizai’s escape: They knew in prison, but he was caught at a roadblock

Expert Ervin Karamuço said on the “Now” program that spectacular helicopter escapes have led to changes in security measures in European prisons. According to him, protective nets have been installed over exercise yards to prevent similar incidents.

Karamuço said that such measures had not previously existed in Albania, but have now been added mainly to protect against drones. However, he stressed that the use of helicopters remains possible, particularly at prisons such as 313 or other institutions with large spaces and open yards, where a private helicopter could approach more easily.

Speaking about the prison where Alket Rizai was being held, the expert described Korydallos as an institution with difficult conditions, extreme overcrowding and ongoing human rights violations. He said that human rights commissioners from the UN and the Council of Europe had described the treatment at that prison as inhumane, not only for Albanians.

The prison is located in the upper part of Piraeus, near Athens, and had a large area, while a heliport was located nearby. According to Karamuço, this made it easier for the helicopter to approach, and it landed quickly after performing a short maneuver. As Alket Rizai was being picked up, police observation towers were fired upon, and the escape was completed within a short time.

After the incident, Greek intelligence services investigated the police, suspecting that certain individuals may have been paid to facilitate the escape. Karamuço said the case also highlighted Rizai’s close ties to the Greek criminal underworld, as he was assisted by a Greek crime boss at the time.

The expert said that Greek authorities had set up roadblocks on highways and were also conducting checks on watercraft. He assessed that Alket Rizai’s capture or return to the custody of the Greek police was only a matter of time.

According to him, Rizai is not safe outside prison, as rival groups have long sought to eliminate him. A major alert has been raised across Greece, with checks at the borders and roadblocks in Athens and other major cities, particularly on the highway leading to Thessaloniki.

Karamuço added that one possible route for a further escape could be to travel to the Middle East on a cruise ship, taking advantage of the large number of watercraft in Greece. However, he expressed confidence that Rizai would be captured quickly and said that Greece’s approach to security, interception and the use of intelligence was a model that Albania should also follow.