Inmate May Have Used Spoon to Bust Out of Prison

An alleged murderer escaped his Moscow prison cell through a hole in the ceiling early today, the Moscow Times reports, but the newspaper leaves out the most intriguing detail of Oleg Topalov's escape: He may have managed it using a spoon. According to a law enforcement source, that would have been "the only tool suitable for making a hole in the ceiling" that Topalov would have had in his cell, the Voice of Russia reports. Cells at the prison are regularly inspected for any forbidden items.

Busting out of the Matrosskaya Tishina detention center would have been no easy feat—AFP calls the prison one of the city's "most impregnable." And Sky News notes that Topalov, who was apparently categorized as "prone to escape," is reportedly just the fourth person in 20 years to do so. After getting through the ceiling hole, he ended up on the roof and climbed over the fence. A manhunt is ongoing and prison staff are being investigated for possible negligence. Bizarre side note: The cell Topalov escaped from was one he shared with seven inmates; they're being questioned. (More Oleg Topalov stories.)