Brussels, Jan 22 (AFP) An escaped Belgian prisoner taunted his former jailers by returning his prison badge with a cheery holiday message, purportedly from Thailand.

Oualid Sekkaki had sent a postcard bearing the message "Greetings from Thailand", a source speaking on condition of anonymity said on Wednesday, confirming local reports.

"Yesterday the local jail authorities received a letter from Mr Sekkaki," prison service spokeswoman Kathleen Van De Vijver said, without confirming the origin or content of the letter.

"There was a message for management and his badge."

The 26-year-old escaped from Turnhout prison in northern Belgium with four other detainees in December. Three were quickly rounded up and one was arrested in January in the Netherlands.

But Sekkaki's whereabouts remained unknown, adding to his family legend: His brother Ashraf was nicknamed the "king of escapes" after fleeing Bruges jail in 2009 in a helicopter.

Oualid Sekkaki was in Turnhout after being sentenced for his role in a shooting in 2015, according to Flemish public television. (AFP)

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