On 20 October 2020, Madsen escaped from prison. He was arrested again in a nearby residential area, however, not far from Herstedvester Prison. When police discovered that he was in possession of a pistol-like object and was wearing a belt that could potentially contain explosives, he was surrounded until bomb experts had determined that it was a decoy. On 9 February 2021, a Copenhagen court handed down a 21-month prison sentence to Madsen, for his attempted escape from jail. The additional sentence will not be added to the life sentence, but may play a role if a probation request were ever made.
