BUCHAREST, January 29. /TASS/. Atash Abdullah, a Turkish citizen sentenced in Romania to nearly 23 years in prison for killing a police officer, converted from Islam to Orthodox Christianity and became active in religious life, which lowered the vigilance of law enforcement officers and enabled him to escape from prison, Antena 3 TV reported.

According to the channel, Abdullah was held at Bucharest’s Rahova Penitentiary, where he converted to Orthodox Christianity and took part in religious ceremonies. He sang in the church choir, attended services, and participated in performances. Because of his change of faith and active involvement in the penitentiary’s religious life, he was invited to meet Romanian Patriarch Daniel in 2022. A photograph from that meeting was later presented in court and used to secure a relaxation of his prison regime, allowing him to leave the facility for several days.

Early last week, Abdullah was allowed to leave prison to visit his family in Voluntari, a suburb of Bucharest. On January 23, he appeared at the local police station but failed to return to prison on the appointed date. Sources in the Bucharest police told the TV channel that Abdullah may have fled to Turkey, and an international arrest warrant has been issued.

Romanian Justice Minister Radu Marinescu said that inspections would be carried out at the Rahova facility following the escape. He also announced the purchase of 6,000 electronic bracelets so that authorities always know where a person is and can immediately apprehend them in the event of an escape attempt.

In 2017, Abdullah was sentenced to 22 years and 10 months in prison for killing a police officer in a car incident that occurred in Bucharest in 2015. According to investigators, the officer ordered Abdullah to stop, and he initially appeared to comply before accelerating and striking the policeman. The investigation found that the driver was intoxicated and classified his actions as murder.