BEIRUT: A dangerous Yemeni inmate, who belongs to the radical Qaeda-inspired Fatah al-Islam group, tried to escape Lebanon’s largest prison, security sources said Saturday.
The sources said prison guards thwarted an attempt Friday by two former Fatah Islam inmates to smuggle out Yemeni prisoner Salim Saleh.
The ex-prisoners, identified as Palestinians Wassim Qambaz and Mahmoud Abdel-Qader, had presented their IDs at the entrance along with a third one that bears the photo of Saleh under the name Hasan Osman.
The Palestinians told the guards that the third man would join them shortly.
However, when the IDs were being photocopied, in line with jail regulations, the prison wardens recognized Saleh’s picture and arrested the two former prisoners.
The detained men confessed that they had been planning to smuggle out Saleh.
Dozens of Islamist prisoners have been held for several years without trial over suspected links to Fatah al-Islam, which fought the Lebanese Army in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in 2007.
Following Fatah al-Islam’s defeat, security services sought the arrest of 570 people for involvement with the group.
Since 2007, 147 of the detainees have been released, leaving 98 in custody, according to judicial sources.
Since 2007, 147 of the detainees have been released, leaving 98 in custody, according to judicial sources.
Seven of the Islamist detainees were released on bail in June.