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Swedish prisoners take guards hostage, demand pizza as ransom

According to Swedish media reports, the hostage-takers made two demands – a helicopter to escape and 20 pizzas for the other inmates.

AFP
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Two inmates doing time for murder at a prison in Sweden took a pair of guards hostage and released them after receiving the pizza they had demanded in return. Photo: Pexels
Two inmates doing time for murder at a prison in Sweden took a pair of guards hostage and released them after receiving the pizza they had demanded in return. Photo: Pexels

Two Swedish prison guards were held hostage for nine hours on Wednesday by two inmates demanding pizza as ransom, and were released when the food was delivered, a spokesman for the penitentiary told AFP.

Neither guard “was hurt and were able to return safely to their family”, prison spokesman Stina Lyles said.

The inmates, both doing time for murder at the Hallby high security prison near the town of Eskilstuna, managed to force themselves into an area reserved only for guards at about 12.30pm (1030 GMT), said another prison official, Torkel Omnell.

There, they took two guards hostage who were in the area at the time.

“We quickly sent in a mediator” and called the police, Omnell said.

According to Swedish media reports, the hostage-takers made two demands – a helicopter to escape and 20 pizzas for the other inmates.

“Yes, the pizzas were delivered,” jail spokesman Lyles said.

The two inmates were taken to the police station for questioning for “kidnapping”, police said.