Sayyaf rebel, 7 other breaks out of prison in Philippine jail

From the Mindanao Examiner BlogSpot site (Jan 27): Sayyaf rebel, 7 other breaks out of prison in Philippine jail

Eight prisoners, including a notorious Abu Sayyaf rebel, have escaped Tuesday from a jail in Basilan, one of five provinces under the troubled Muslim autonomous region in southern Philippines, security officials said.

Officials said the escape was only discovered in the morning after guards conducted a head count of prisoners at the provincial jail in Isabela City.

Among those who bolted the prison was Said Usman, whose group is operating in the restive island- province just several nautical miles south of Zamboanga.

The others prisoners have been identified as Akmad Arasani, Obet de la Cruz, Serhan Akalum, Serham Akalum, Benhar Ibrahim, Oliver Tinguha and Mumar Dala.

The prisoners destroyed the ceiling and jumped off the wall and escaped.

It was unknown why prison guards failed to prevent or detect the daring escape, but it was not the first time such breakout occurred there. There were several instances in recent years that prisoners had managed to escape by sewing off the iron grills of their cell.

Security at the prison facility has been a perennial problem even in the past due to the lack of government support and poor equipment.

http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2015/01/sayyaf-rebel-7-other-breaks-out-of.html