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Casablanca bomb convicts escape | Casablanca bomb convicts escape |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Nine people convicted of involvement with suicide bombings in Casablanca have escaped from a Moroccan prison, officials say. | |
Prison authorities at Kenitra, 40km (25 miles) north of the capital, Rabat, noticed the escape on Monday morning, the Justice Ministry told state media. | Prison authorities at Kenitra, 40km (25 miles) north of the capital, Rabat, noticed the escape on Monday morning, the Justice Ministry told state media. |
An interior ministry source told AFP news agency that the prisoners had tunnelled their way out. | An interior ministry source told AFP news agency that the prisoners had tunnelled their way out. |
The 2003 attacks left 45 people dead, including 12 bombers, and many injured. | The 2003 attacks left 45 people dead, including 12 bombers, and many injured. |
Most of the nine men were serving life sentences for involvement in the bombings, a group which supports Islamist prisoners said. | Most of the nine men were serving life sentences for involvement in the bombings, a group which supports Islamist prisoners said. |
Message | Message |
The men are reported to have escaped just after morning prayers on Monday. | |
A source close to Islamist prisoners told the BBC the nine men had left a message on the wall of their jail. | |
It said they had suffered injustice and were escaping because they saw no other solution to their woes, stressing that they had received no outside help for their prison break. | |
All possible measures were being taken to find the fugitives, the Justice Ministry said in a statement on state news agency MAP. | All possible measures were being taken to find the fugitives, the Justice Ministry said in a statement on state news agency MAP. |
Officials had been sent to the prison to investigate how the convicts had broken out, it said. | |
In December 2007, drugs baron Mohammad Ouazzani escaped from the same jail. | |
Eight prison guards were subsequently convicted of helping him. | Eight prison guards were subsequently convicted of helping him. |