was to serve them in a portable flatbread. The word doner comes from the Turkish dondurmek, to turn or rotate. Though the vertical rotisserie was an Ottoman invention, it is tempting to imagine that a little German Vorsprung durch Technik may have assisted in the development of the automatic version.

Who exactly invented the doner is much contested. Was it Kadir Nurman at his Imbiss (food stand) at Zoo station in 1972? Some say he merely popularised a dish pioneered by Mahmut Aygun at Hasir, a Kreuzberg restaurant, a year earlier. No, say others: the honour properly belongs to Nevsat Salim, whose Eureka moment occurred in the Swabian town of Reutlingen in 1969. And on it goes. Whoever first realised the doner’s potential, the fierce debate over its originssecurity doors inside. This past year, there have been no escapes.

Saito was sent to the hospital in 1981 after he was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the shooting and stabbing death of Sandra Yamashiro in a mall parking lot.

Suzuki said Saito had been a model patient with no disciplinary history at the time of his escape. He was captured in Stockton, California.

Suzuki said a separate criminal investigation is ongoing and would focus on exactly how Saito was able to get cash and a cell phone to facilitate his escape.

Saito has been ruled competent to stand trial for escape. He is currently in jail.