A convicted-remand prisoner, Isaac Thompson, 26, remains at large in the Northern Territory more than 36 hours after escaping custody while being escorted from an ambulance at Royal Darwin Hospital's emergency department on Sunday night. A large-scale manhunt is under way and police have urged the public not to approach him, making this a live public-safety concern in and around Darwin.

Thompson, a known associate of the Mongols bikie gang, fled wearing only shorts, socks and handcuffs, just hours before he was due to appear in Darwin Local Court on Monday for a directions hearing. He had been held since February over alleged drug and weapons offences, including possessing a commercial quantity of drugs. The Fugitive Taskforce, Strike Force Trident and the Dog Operations Unit have been deployed. Notably, he is the third Mongols-linked prisoner to escape custody in the Territory in under a month, prompting an internal investigation by the Department of Corrections.