Twelve Al-Qaeda militants escape from jail in Yemen

2011-12-12 19:05:39 GMT+7 (ICT)

ADEN, YEMEN (BNO NEWS) -- Twelve suspected al-Qaeda militants escaped from a prison in the southern Yemeni city of Aden on Monday morning, security sources said. Three other criminals also managed to escape.

Yemeni officials said the inmates at the prison in the al-Mansoura district of Aden escaped after digging a small 7-meters (22.9-feet) long tunnel from the prison's yard. Few details about the incident or the escapees were immediately released.

However, security sources said at least twelve of the escapees had been in prison on terrorism-related charges and were believed to be members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Three other escapees were being held on charges for crimes such as bank robbery.

In late June, a total of 62 al-Qaeda militants escaped from the central security prison in the southern city of Mukalla. One prison guard and three prisoners were killed in the prison break, which was believed to be the biggest ever prison breakout of AQAP members in Yemen.

Opposition parties alleged that the breakout was facilitated by senior military officials with close ties to embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who recently signed a political agreement brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to end 11 months of political turmoil. The opposition said the plot was intended to cause further chaos in the south in order to get more U.S. support, apparently in an attempt to prove the crackdown on anti-government protesters was justified.

On Saturday, Yemen's national unity government was sworn in in the capital of Sana'a. The new government, which will lead the country during a three-month transition period until early elections are held in February, was worn in before Vice President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi at the Republican Palace. The ruling party and opposition parties evenly divided the 34 ministries.

The uprising against President Saleh has claimed at least 1,500 lives since February.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-12-12

Whether or not it was aided by officials, it's despicable. So now Yemen, which is already a rather miserable part of the world, will have a dozen more baddies circulating around. Any country which is on good terms with the US should send their terrorist prisoners to Guantanamo. At least US prisons can keep them locked up, which is more than Arab prisons are able to do. Who designs prisons in Arab lands? Perhaps they're the same dungeons they've been using for centuries. Do Arab engineers know anything about 'curtain footings' (reinforced cement walls underground). Are their prisons just cheapo cinder block buildings with sand floors? Jeeze Louise.