Al Qaeda Militants Tunnel Out Of Yemen Jail

Al Qaeda militants tunnel out of Yemen jail. Twelve alleged Al Qaeda militants plus two other inmates have tunnelled their way to freedom from a prison in the south Yemen city of Aden, a security official said.

The prisoners fled through a six-metre tunnel they dug at the western end of Aden's central prison, the official said.

None of the escapees were serving a jail sentence. Some were being tried over a 2009 robbery of a bank in Aden, while others were facing charges of being involved in various assassinations of intelligence officers.


In June, heavily armed Al Qaeda fighters raided the central jail in the southern city Al-Mukalla, capital of Hadramawt province, freeing dozens of prisoners and killing a security guard.

The Mukalla jail was believed to house more than 100 Al Qaeda militants, 58 of whom had been tried in court and have received jail sentences.

At the time, Nasser Bakazzuz, a spokesman for civil society organisations in Hadramawt, accused the authorities of helping the prisoners escape and denied there was an attack by militants on the facility.

Yemen's army has been fighting heavy gun battles with Al Qaeda militants in several parts of the Arab nation that has been witnessing a massive uprising against the 32-year rule of president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Source:http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-12/al-qaeda-militants-tunnel-out-of-yemen-jail/3727376