Mauritania builds new jail for al-Qaida

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania, June 3 (UPI) -- In a move to clamp a tighter lid on al-Qaida detainees, Mauritania has established a new prison on a military base to hold them, the government says.

The move came after seven suspected terrorists escaped from a police jail in Nouakchott last month, an embarrassing episode the African country's Ministry of Justice is determined not to let happen again, Med Basin Newsline reported Tuesday.

"The Mauritanian Justice Ministry has established a new prison located at the heart of a military garrison to serve as a preventive detention center for 30 suspects expected to stand trial in a number of high-profile terrorism cases," an official told the news service.

The 30 new suspects were captured in May when Mauritanian police raided an address in the capital. The detainees include the seven who had earlier escaped from jail.

The new prison, however, is drawing concern from some of the country's defense attorneys, who say it will mean little or no access to their clients, charging the prison was designed specifically for the 30 men.