Manama – Bahrain’s Interior Minister Lt. General Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa asserted on Sunday that incident in which 10 terrorists had escaped from the “Jau” prison on Jan. 1 involved the negligence of some members of the prison, asserting that the ministry would punish all officials linked to the jail break, regardless of their ranks.
“Those who showed shortcomings in their work will be held accountable,” the interior minister said during a hearing session held at Parliament in the presence of Speaker Ahmed bin Ibrahim Al-Mullah and security officials.
On Jan. 1, the Jau prison was attacked by a group of armed men who killed one police officer, injured another and allowed 10 inmates convicted for terror crimes to escape.
Al Khalifa uncovered that policeman Abdulsalam Saif was shot before he took over his shift and that the terrorists escaped from a gate that was left open for a cleaning vehicle to enter.
Public Security Chief Major-General Tariq Al-Hassan told Asharq Al-Awsat that an investigative body quickly formed after the incident had already completed its work and that investigations would soon reveal all those linked to the jailbreak.
“Wider investigations will be conducted to uncover what exactly happened. We will recall every person linked to the case. If it appears that negligence occurred, there is also a probability that the incident might have involved a possible conspiracy of some guard members,” Al-Hassan said.
For his part, the Interior Minister informed the Speaker and members of Parliament about the details behind the prison break. He said authorities arrested the owner of the car that was tracked on the road by CCTV, and that four individuals suspected to be involved in the attack and aiding the prisoners’ escape were identified.
Al Khalifa said the prison is equipped with all requirements, including cameras and alarm systems, while the guards have enough weapons and clear orders to deal with all situations.
He said the case revealed shortcomings in performance and not in capabilities, as policemen are equipped with weapons and tools to carry out various tasks.