Police hunting for a violent prisoner who went on the run after being sprung from the clutches of two prison guards as they escorted him to hospital have released CCTV images of his armed escape.
Forces nationwide have joined the search for Andrew Farndon, who made the "planned" escape as he arrived at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, for treatment on Wednesday.
The CCTV stills show a gunman approaching the prison officers outside the Accident & Emergency department and the moment he fled with the 26-year-old prisoner after brandishing his weapon at the guards.
Officers have also released images of potential witnesses they would like to speak to in connection with the incident.
It is understood that Farndon, whose family lives in the Coventry area, inflicted a serious knife wound on himself at Highpoint Prison in Stradishall, near Newmarket, before being taken to the hospital in a taxi accompanied by the guards.
When they arrived, a waiting gunman confronted the male and female prison officials, before fleeing with Farndon across the car park, Suffolk Police said.
Detective Chief Inspector Nick Bennett said searches were continuing in Suffolk but added that it was unlikely Farndon was still in the county.
Forces across the country, including the neighbouring counties of Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire along with West Midlands Police, have issued appeals for information.
Bennett added: "Along with other forces, we are pursuing various lines of inquiry, including contacting his family, friends and associates in the West Midlands.
"We are also studying CCTV and number-plate recognition records to try to identify the car which was used in the escape.
"Another line of inquiry is whether any mobile phones were used in the planning and execution of this escape.
"His prison cell has been searched and various items recovered. No blade was found in this search.
"The prison officers are still shaken and it was obviously a terrifying ordeal."
Police said they were contacted just after 6.50pm by hospital staff who witnessed Farndon's escape.
He is described as white with a goatee beard, and was wearing a dark blue baseball cap and a light-coloured jumper which was padded on the right side due to his injury.
The man with the gun is described as white, in his mid-40s, around 5ft 8in and of stocky build. He possibly had a Scottish accent and was wearing a white top and blue jeans.
It is thought the two men may have escaped in a dark-coloured car and other accomplices may be involved.
Farndon previously escaped by leaping from the dock at Coventry Crown Court in 2007, but was sentenced in his absence to an indeterminate sentence for public protection (IPP) and told he must serve at least two years before being considered for parole.
He was found guilty of grievous bodily harm after a hammer attack which left his victim with a fractured skull, but officials only classed him as a category C prisoner - meaning he was deemed unlikely to make a determined escape attempt.
He was also sentenced to 18 months for dangerous driving, 18 months for aggravated vehicle-taking, and banned from driving for two-and-a-half years.
Farndon's escape is the second in just a week, after an "extremely dangerous" category A prisoner, murder suspect John Anslow, was sprung from a prison van after it left Hewell Prison in Worcestershire.
Justice Minister Crispin Blunt said there was no suggestion the incident was linked to Anslow's escape.
A Prison Service spokeswoman said a full Prison Service inquiry would follow.