Advertisement

Afghan prison warden arrested in breakout

KABUL, Afghanistan, April 28 (UPI) -- The warden of Sarposa prison, where nearly 500 Taliban escaped in a mass jail break, has been arrested, Afghan officials said Thursday.

The Los Angeles Times said Warden Ghulam Dastagher Mayar and nine other Afghan security officials were arrested, but no charges were released. About half of the men detained were on duty last Sunday at the time of the mass escape from the prison in Kandahar which used a tunnel constructed by the Taliban.

Advertisement

"The investigation into the prison break is ongoing," said Kandahar Gov. Tooryalai Wesa. "I can only say that a number of security force members have been arrested during the past few days for interrogation purposes."

Afghan officials said the size and professionalism of the 4 1/2-hour prison break indicates the Taliban had inside help. No alarms sounded during the escape and no guards reported anything amiss. Some fugitives said they got keys to their cells from "special friends."

By late Thursday, authorities had recaptured 74 fugitives and two had been killed.

About 1,000 inmates escaped from the same prison in 2008.

Latest Headlines