ISLAMABAD: Pakistan yesterday issued threat alert for a potential “massive” prison break in the restive northwest after the government announced end to a moratorium on the death penalty in terror-related cases.
“We received terror alert today about a possible prison break in four major prisons of the province,” a senior prison official in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province who saw the alert said. “The letter had warned of a massive prison break,” he added.
He said the Home Department has advised prison officials to collaborate with the local police to increase security around all high profile inmates charged with terror-related offences. Another senior intelligence official confirmed that a threat warning had been issued.
He said there are a number of high profile terrorists on death row in four prisons in the province. “The terrorists might attack prisons to free their comrades on death row specially after the end of moratorium on death sentence,” he said.
In July last year dozens of heavily armed Taliban fighters freed nearly 250 prisoners, including hardcore militants, during a sophisticated overnight attack on a jail in the northwest.
It was not the first time either the Afghan Taliban or their Pakistani counterparts have claimed prison breaks.
In April 2012, nearly 400 prisoners escaped from a jail outside Pakistan’s northwestern town of Bannu during a similar insurgent raid.
AFP
