Lebanon Thwarts Massive Prison Break by Fatah Islam Prisoners; Manhunt Continues for Fugivite
Lebanese security forces aborted early Tuesday a massive attempted breakout from Roumieh detention center by a group of convicted Fatah al-Islam terrorists, but one prisoner managed to escape, an army spokesman said.
"Taha Ahmad Haji Suleiman, who has dual Syrian and Palestinian nationality, escaped from Rumieh prison this morning," the spokesman said.
"Seven other prisoners who attempted to break out with him were recaptured."
Troops backed by helicopters have launched a manhunt for the fugitive, who was convicted of membership of the al-Qaida inspired Fatah al-Islam group which led an uprising in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared two years ago, AFP reported.
Security officials described Suleiman as a "dangerous" member of Fatah Islam.
Lebanon”s official National News Agency said Suleiman had escaped into a wooded area near Rumieh, northeast of Beirut, after the 5:30 am (0230 GMT) breakout.
The eight members of the al-Qaida-inspired group sawed bars off their cell windows, scaled down the building using blankets tied together, then stood on each other”s shoulders to help one jump over a wall and escape, security officials told AP.
Fatah Islam fought a three-month battle against the Lebanese army in the northern refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in 2007. The clashes killed 220 militants, 171 soldiers and 47 Palestinian civilians
The fighting killed some 400 people, including 168 soldiers, and deadly clashes also broke out in the nearby northern port city of Tripoli but some of the Islamist leaders escaped despite a 15-week siege by the army at the camp.
The militant group is also accused of being behind twin bus bombings in a Christian suburb northeast of Beirut which left three dead and close to 20 wounded in 2007.
The seven other Fatah Islam members who tried to escape Tuesday include Abu Salim Taha, who served as the group”s spokesman during the fighting, and Yasser al-Shuqairi, who is standing trial for his role in twin bus bombings that killed three passengers on a mountain road east of Beirut in February 2007, the officials told AP.
A third prisoner among the group attempting to escape broke his back when his blanket line got untied and he fell from a height of about five yards (meters). The officials said he was being hospitalized.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations.
Local television has been broadcasting Suleiman”s photograph and the army requested "citizens immediately contact the nearest military bureau should they see him."
Later, media reports said Suleiman managed to stop a car after threatening its driver, a woman by name of Nouran Toumi, with a knife near Forum de Beirut. "He then rode in the car with her and ordered her to drive in the direction he wanted. When she arrived to the Port she deliberately collided with a van forcing Suleiman to escape to an unknown destination," according to reports.
Toumi informed the police and was debriefed at the Ashrafiyeh police station.