Jailbreak attempt foiled at Lebanon’s Roumieh prison
The Daily Star
09
Apr
2013
Police at Lebanon’s Roumieh jail foiled an attempted prison break Tuesday, security sources said. Security sources said authorities at the facility discovered an underground tunnel at the prison’s block D. The wing, which is vacant, was being renovated when the tunnel, measuring 3-meters in length and 1 meter in height, was discovered, the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. The tunnel would have led outside the prison had work on it continued, they said. Military Judge Danny al-Zeini has launched an investigation into the incident. All precautionary measures to fill in the tunnel have been taken, the security sources added. Tuesday’s was the most recent case of a series of attempted prison breaks from the country’s largest jail. In January, authorities found ropes dangling from a guard tower as well as a passage that prisoners planned to use as part of an escape from the prison. A month earlier, security sources said police thwarted an escape attempt by a group of roughly 20 inmates suspected of belonging to Fatah al-Islam. Separately Tuesday, the sources said Friday would see a second round of pre-trial hearing for Islamists. Last week, pretrial-hearings were held for 20 Islamists who have been detained for nearly six years. The inmates were part of the first batch of 86 Islamist prisoners at Roumieh who are scheduled for pretrial hearings.
