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Imam told Yemenis about digging in prison, got blown off
Sheik Riyad al-Gheili heard the sound of digging 10 days before authorities discovered that 23 convicted al Qaeda prisoners had popped through the floor of the women's restroom at his mosque and escaped.

But police, when told of the strange noises, discounted the Muslim cleric's warning.

"When I informed the prison guards of the sounds I was hearing at night, they told me I'm imagining things," Gheili said Friday, giving the first independent account of an escape that has raised concern in Washington about Yemen's commitment to fighting terrorism.

The prison break was discovered on Feb. 3, when, a few days after reporting the noise to authorities, Gheili again walked the few steps separating Al-Awqaf Mosque from the Political Security Department prison — this time, to tell them of a hole discovered in the floor of the women's restroom.

Until then, officials at the maximum-security facility had not known the men were missing, Gheili said.

The prison break has raised questions about official involvement and whether Yemen, Osama bin Laden's ancestral home, is a serious ally in hunting down terrorists.

The Bush administration has expressed concern about the threat posed by the fugitives, as well as lax security at the prison and the wisdom of housing the prisoners together in one cell.

"There's definite collusion from inside the jail," said Muhammad Ali al-Saqqaf, a lawyer. "The story that the men used cutlery to dig their way out doesn't make sense. Yemenis eat with their fingers. Plus, they needed much stronger instruments to make that tunnel."

Yemenis, especially some who have been jailed in the prison, agree. They want the government to explain how the dirt extracted from the tunnel was disposed of, why no one reported the sound of digging and the smell of dust, and where the prisoners got the sharp digging tools.

The government has largely kept silent about details of the escape. More than 150 people have been detained in connection with the breakout, including prison guards and relatives of the fugitives.

A senior Interior Ministry official said the government is serious about finding the escaped prisoners and their accomplices and has gathered information that is helping the effort.
Posted by: Dan Darling 2006-02-18
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=143020