Interpol issues global alert on jailbreak

Interpol yesterday issued a global security alert linked to suspected al-Qaeda involvement in recent prison breakouts.
Interpol cited prison escapes in Iraq, Libya and Pakistan, and asked its members to examine if they were connected. The police agency is also asking member countries to "swiftly process any information linked to these events".
In the most recent escape, 248 prisoners were sprung from a jail in north-west Pakistan after a deadly assault. The authorities said 30 of those who fled were "hardened militants" jailed for involvement in suicide bombings and other serious attacks.
Hundreds of inmates escaped from two jails in Iraq - Abu Ghraib to the west of Baghdad and Taji to the north - on 22 July.
Five days later, some 1,200 inmates broke out of a jail in the restive Libyan city of Benghazi.
"With suspected al-Qaeda involvement in several of the breakouts which led to the escape of hundreds of terrorists and other criminals, the Interpol alert requests the organisation's 190 member countries' assistance in order to determine whether any of these recent events are coordinated or linked," the French-based agency says.
Calling for increased vigilance, Interpol says it is prioritising information and intelligence related to the breakouts.
Interpol's alert comes after the US state department issued a global travel alert because of fears of an unspecified al-Qaeda attack.
The department said on Friday that the potential for an attack was particularly strong in the Middle East and North Africa.