Iraq recaptures last of five sentenced-to-death jailbreakers
TIKRIT, Iraq, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) — The Iraqi security forces recaptured the last of the five jailbreakers awaiting execution, nearly a week after they escaped from a prison in Tikrit City, capital of Salahudin province, a provincial police source said on Tuesday.
The recapture brings the number of re-detained al-Qaida-affiliated jailbreakers to nine out of 16, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity, noting that seven others were still on the run.
The 16 inmates, including the five sentenced to death, broke through a ventilation duct in the prison located in central Tikrit on Wednesday night.
Tariq Abbas Sabty, one of the five prisoners sentenced to death, was catched on Monday in the neighboring province of Diyala, northeast of Baghdad, the source said.
The Iraqi security forces in Diyala arrested a suspect holding a forged ID and proved that he was one of the 16 prisoners, the source said, adding that the recaptured is going to be transferred to Salahudin province.
The 16 prisoners managed to escape from the Tikrit prison through the ventilation duct, jumping above a 4-meter prison wall, according to police reports.
Immediately after the prison break, Iraqi security forces carried out an intensive campaign to recapture them in Tikrit and all over the province as well as in neighboring provinces.
The provincial authorities sacked Colonel Mohammed Salih Jbara, head of anti-terrorism department of Salahudin province, and detained more than 100 prison guards and staff for questioning.
Tikrit, some 170 km north of Baghdad, is the hometown of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein who was toppled by the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
Iraq recaptures last of five sentenced-to-death jailbreakers _English_Xinhua
