Man tries to escape Alphen aan den Rijn prison with tied-together sheets

A man tried to escape from the prison in Alphen aan den Rijn early Wednesday morning using sheets he had tied together like in the movies. Prison guards detained him within the penitentiary's walls on Maatschapslaan, Omroep West reports.

The man got out of his cell by removing a window and bars. He then made his way to the roof and threw his rope of knotted sheets over the wall on the side of the Koningin Maxima bridge.

Prison employees caught the man in the act. They put him in isolation and called the police. How he got hold of so many sheets is under investigation, a spokesperson for the custodial institutions' department DJI said to ANP.

The police arrested another man outside the prison at around 3:15 a.m. They also seized a car. The police did not say whether the man is suspected of involvement in the attempted prison break.