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25 Prisoners Flee Baghdad Jail 25 Prisoners Flee Baghdad Jail
(about 1 hour later)
BAGHDAD — About 25 prisoners jailed on terrorism charges, some of them facing the death penalty, escaped early on Friday from a prison north of Baghdad, killing two guards as they fled and raising the question of whether guards had helped them, security officials said. BAGHDAD, Iraq — Twenty-five suspects held on terrorism charges, some facing the death penalty, escaped early Friday from a prison north of Baghdad where Saddam Hussein had been hanged, killing two guards and raising the question of whether they had received inside help, security officials said.
The escape was from the prison where Saddam Hussein was executed in December 2006 — a former headquarters of his Istikhbarat military intelligence agency, which has since been renamed Al Adala, meaning justice. The escape came a few weeks short of the seventh anniversary of Mr. Hussein’s execution on the gallows of the prison, a former headquarters of his Istikhbarat military intelligence agency, which has since been renamed Al Adala, meaning justice.
Security forces hunted down 11 prisoners but the rest remained free later in the day despite a search for them. It was at least the third publicly reported mass prison break in Iraq since the fall of 2012. It also underscored the decline of the country’s security and the increase in deadly sectarian violence since the departure of American forces at the end of 2011 following the eight-year-long war that deposed Mr. Hussein.
The prisoners broke out at around 3:30 a.m. on Friday, according to a police official who said that some gates had been broken open while others appeared to have been unlocked. The official spoke in return for anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the episode with reporters. The most spectacular prison break happened on Sept. 27, 2012, from a prison in Tikrit, Mr. Hussein’s hometown, in which more than 100 felons, nearly half of them linked to Al Qaeda, escaped, prompting an intense manhunt. At least 17 detainees broke out of a prison in the city of Kirkuk on March 23, 2012.
Security forces trying to recapture the escapees in the Friday prison break had hunted down 11 of them later in the day.
The prisoners broke out around 3:30 a.m., according to a police official who said some gates had been broken open while others appeared to have been unlocked. The official spoke in return for anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the episode with reporters.
Security forces arrested all the guards who had been on duty at the time to determine whether they had helped prisoners escape. Several are still under investigation, the police official said.Security forces arrested all the guards who had been on duty at the time to determine whether they had helped prisoners escape. Several are still under investigation, the police official said.
The prison was one of the main centers for interrogation and torture during Mr. Hussein’s era.The prison was one of the main centers for interrogation and torture during Mr. Hussein’s era.

Rick Gladstone contributed reporting from New York.