The 61-year old Portuguese man is the second of the five escapees from Vale de Judeus prison to be recaptured. The first escapee Fábio Loureiro was caught and arrested by authorities a month after the escape.

The escape of the five prisoners from the Vale de Judeus Prison on 7 September, was recorded by video surveillance systems at 09:56, but only detected 40 minutes later.

In a statement, the Judicial Police explains that the operation had the collaboration of the National Republican Guard and that Fernando Ribeiro Ferreira has an "extensive criminal career".

Credits: Twitter; Author: Polícia Judiciária @PJudiciaria;

He is known for the practice of "especially violent crime", but also within the scope of highly organised crime, involving crimes of criminal association, homicide, kidnapping, armed robbery, drug trafficking and possession of a prohibited weapon, the statement reads.

The Portuguese man was first imprisoned in 1980. At the time of his escape, on 7 September, he was serving a 24-year prison sentence, associated with 11 convictions.

Fernando Ribeiro Ferreira was subject to an international arrest warrant issued by the competent judicial authority, which was listed as a red notice at Interpol.

The escape from Vale de Judeus, in Alcoentre, in the municipality of Azambuja, involved five prisoners, two of them Portuguese, who have now been recaptured (Fábio Loureiro and Fernando Ribeiro Ferreira).

The remaining three, who remain at large, are a Georgian national, Shergili Farjiani, an Argentinean, Rodolf José Lohrmann, and British national, Mark Cameron Roscaleer.

They were sentenced to between seven and 25 years in prison for various crimes, including drug trafficking, criminal association, robbery, kidnapping and money laundering.

This escape led the Ministry of Justice to initiate nine proceedings, targeting the former director, the head of the guard and seven prison guards, a decision that resulted from the recommendations of the report prepared by the Audit and Inspection Service (SAI) of the General Directorate of Reintegration and Prison Services (DGRSP).

In a note released in October, the Ministry of Justice also highlighted the opening of two separate inquiries: one regarding the prison commissioner, due to the “failure to implement a security measure”, and another regarding the Directorate of Security Services “to assess its functioning and its ability to respond to situations of this nature”.

A certificate was also issued to the competent entities to determine disciplinary responsibilities in relation to GNR soldiers regarding “the conditions in which images of events at the Vale de Judeus prison were released to the media without authorization.

Today, in a statement sent to Lusa after the recapture of the second of the five escapees from Vale de Judeus was announced, the Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcão Júdice, expressed her feelings of pride and confidence in the police forces.

“The capture of yet another escapee from Vale de Judeus leaves us with a feeling of pride and confidence in our police forces, which we must all praise,” wrote the minister.

“This success was only possible thanks to the persistent and competent investigation work of the PJ”.

The minister also praised the joint work of the police forces, in particular the collaboration of the GNR.

"The professionals who work every day to make our country safer deserve our gratitude and recognition," she concluded.