More than 1,000 inmates escape from Libyan prison

Amid protests across the country over killing of an activist, PM blames jailbreak near Benghazi on locals

• Associated Press
• guardian.co.uk, Sunday 28 July 2013 01.21 BST

More than 1,000 inmates have escaped from a prison in Libya as protesters stormed political party offices across the country.

It wasn't immediately clear if the jailbreak at al-Kweifiya prison on Saturday was connected to the demonstrations. Protesters had gathered across Libya over the killing of an activist who had been critical of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Inmates started a riot and lit fires after security forces opened fire on three detainees who tried to escape from the facility near Benghazi, a security official at the prison said. Gunmen quickly arrived at the prison after news of the riot spread, opening fire with rifles in a bid to free their imprisoned relatives.

Those who escaped either faced or were convicted of serious charges, the prison official said.

Special forces later arrested 18 of the escapees, while some returned on their own, according to Mohammed Hejazi, a government security official in Benghazi. The three inmates wounded in the initial escape attempt were taken to a local hospital, he said.

At a news conference, the prime minister, Ali Zidan, blamed the jailbreak on those living around the prison. "The prison was [attacked] by the citizens who live nearby because they don't want a prison in their region" he said. "Special forces were present and could have got the situation under control by using their arms but they had received orders not [to use] their weapons on citizens ... so the citizens opened the doors to the prisoners."

FULL STORY: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/28/1000-inmates-escape-lib...