Convicted murderer transferred to high security prison after attempted escape: report

Dino Soerel, who is serving a life sentence for involvement in assassinations, tried to escape from the prison in Heerhugowaard with another prisoner on Thursday evening, the Telegraaf reported. The Ministry of Justice and Security said that Soerel was transferred to the high security prison in Vught due to "suspicions of an escape attempt" and that the case is under investigation, RTL Nieuws reports.

Soerel, 59, was sentenced to life in prison in the so-called Passage process in 2017. He was convicted for complicity in the assassinations of Kees Houtman and Thomas van der Bijl and participating in a criminal organization. According to the authorities, Soerel led a criminal organization along with Heineken kidnapper Willem Holleeder and Stanley Hills, who was killed in 2011. 

The 59-year-old man was previously imprisoned in the high security prison in Vught, between 2010 and 2012, but was transferred to another prison after the council for the application of criminal justice and youth protection RSJ determine that the regime in Vught was unnecessarily harsh, according to RTL.

Soerel is the second criminal sentenced to life imprisonment who tried to escape this month. In mid-January, four men attempted to break Omar L. out of the prison in Zutphen. L. is in prison for his role in multiple assassinations and attempts thereto.

Minister Sander Dekker for Legal Protection recently announced that a new, extra secure department will be established to better monitor criminals who are a flight risk and have a high risk of recidivism. An experiment with this high security department will be held in one prison and will have room for 12 detainees. The experiment is expected to start on March 1st.