2006 Yemen prison escape

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Tunnel used by the fugitives for their escape. The arrows in the image point to various tools used in digging the tunnel. Tunnel used by al-Qaeda militants in their escape from a Yemeni prison.jpg
Tunnel used by the fugitives for their escape. The arrows in the image point to various tools used in digging the tunnel.

On 3 February 2006, a group of 23 convicts escaped from a prison administered by the Political Security Organization (PSO) in Sanaa, Yemen. The prisoners had spent two months digging a 44-meter long tunnel from their cell, which they had all shared, using makeshift tools such as spoons and cooking pots. They escaped through the tunnel into the women's bathroom of a nearby mosque, where they recited prayers and left through the front doors. Among the escapees included several militants affiliated with al-Qaeda and its local organization in Yemen, most prominently Jamal al-Badawi, a mastermind of the USS Cole bombing, Fawaz al-Rabeiee, the leader of a militant cell responsible for the MV Limburg bombing, and Jaber Elbanah, a US citizen associated with the Lackawanna Six.

The escape was a major embarrassment for the Yemeni government and strained its relations with the United States. Several commentators and officials suspected that members of the PSO may have facilitated the escape. An investigation launched by the Yemeni Interior Ministry concluded that the prison guards did not take sufficient precautions to prevent the escape, with 12 officers being tried and found guilty of gross negligence. Yemeni authorities and security forces launched an intense manhunt for the 23 fugitives, with all but six of them remaining free by late 2007. Retrospectively, the escape has been seen by commentators and analysts as the catalyst for the revival of al-Qaeda's presence in Yemen. Two of the escapees, Nasir al-Wuhayshi and Qasim al-Raymi, would go on to serve as leaders of al-Qaeda in Yemen and its successor organization, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Context

Al-Qaeda in Yemen was perceived as mostly defeated by the end of 2003. [1] The killing of leader Abu Ali al-Harithi in 2002 along with the arrest of his replacement Muhammad al-Ahdal the following year crippled the groups operational capacity. [2] As written by The Washington Institute, "with the leadership dead or in jail, its infrastructure largely destroyed, and its militants more attracted to the insurgency in Iraq than jihad at home, al-Qaeda in Yemen appeared largely defeated." [3] With al-Qaeda contained, the Yemeni government shifted its focus elsewhere, primarily the Houthi war in Sadaa Governorate which began in June 2004. [4] [5] President Ali Abdullah Saleh viewed the Houthi movement as a legitimate threat to his power rather than al-Qaeda, which was primarily seen as a Western issue which indirectly affected the country. [6] Simultaneously, the United States had also deprioritized al-Qaeda as its main foreign policy approach with Yemen. Counterterrorism-focused ambassador Edmund Hull left the country in the summer of 2004, just as the US began pressuring Saleh to address election reform and corruption within the country. [4] In November 2005, the American government announced that they would cut $20 million in USAID funding for Yemen. The World Bank also stated that they would their aid to the country from $420 million a year to $280 million. [6]

Escape

All 23 individuals shared the same cell in an underground prison beneath the headquarters of the PSO. [7] The militants may have came up with the idea for the prison break through a prisoner from Iraq who described to them the foiled tunnel escape in Camp Bucca the previous year. It may have also come from a colluding visitor who had "looked it up on the Internet or any other media outlets." [8] Initial estimates reported that the tunnel may have taken approximately two months to have completed. [9] [10] Several improvised tools were used to dig the tunnel, such as shovels made from fan parts and spoons attached to broomsticks and three pots tied together to form a u-shaped scoop. [8] [11] Authorities found four soccer balls with plastic tubing attached to them, creating a device which allowed the prisoners to breathe while they were digging below surface. Dirt from the tunnel was removed with two buckets and hid in various parts of their cells, such as under plies of clothing and in the cell bathroom, which was "filled with dirt to the ceiling." [12] [8]

The prisoners played with a soccer ball and recited loud chants as they were digging in order to mask the sound of their work. [11] [9] In one instance, the prisoners attacked a PSO officer and soldier who attempted to enter their ward in order to quell the chants. The tunnel itself was 60 by 80 centimeters wide, [13] 44 meters-long, nearly a third being within prison grounds, [14] and went down 3 meters below the surface. [8] [9] The southern wall of the PSO prison, the direction which the tunnel was dug, is 40 meters away from the cell of the prisoners. A 12 meter dead-end street then separates the wall with the al-Awkaf Mosque. Several guards outside the prison reported sounds of digging at different places and times, though their reports were not further investigated. [9]

On 3 February, at around 4:30 a.m. AST (UTC+3), the prisoners crawled through the tunnel to the women's bathroom of the mosque, the least frequented part of the building due to most Muslim women praying at home. [11] [15] They proceeded to recite morning prayers in the mosque and then left among the attendants. [16] [6] The hole in the bathroom was eventually discovered by a janitor at the mosque, who reported it to the imam who later informed authorities, who discovered the escape the next day. [17] [15]

Escapees

The Yemeni Ministry of Interior distributed a list containing the identities for 22 of the 23 escaped convicts on 3 February. [18] The Jamestown Foundation identifies the 23 fugitives as: [19] [20]

Investigation

Senior Interior Ministry officials held an emergency meeting on the escape shortly after it. A ministry spokesperson announced on 4 February that an investigation headed by the Interior Minister was underway in order to determine if the fugitives received internal or external assistance. [18] [35] They also stated that the prison officials were reshuffled by Yemeni authorities and the prison chief and his deputy were both dismissed. [18] The investigation was being headed by the National Security Bureau, the PSO's rival intelligence organization. [11] [36] PSO officers and soldiers were being investigated on the grounds that the prisoners could not have determined the direction and angle at which the tunnel was dug to the mosque without support from highly-qualified people. [36] A report on the investigation ran by a pro-government newspaper said that the prison guards did not did not take sufficient measures to prevent the escape. Outside co-conspirator's were also found to have “helped in moving and hiding the escapees,” according to an official. [37] Five majors and two prison guards were detained and interrogated on 10 February in suspicion that they gave tools and information to the prisoners to help them escape. [38] [39]

More than 80 people were detained for the investigation, including prison officers, relatives of the fugitives and members of Islamist groups. [40] On 15 February, a Yemeni official stated that 135 people had been arrested and were being interrogated in connection to the escape. Authorities received "important information" from the detainees, who were arrested in police searches of suspected places and houses of relatives of the fugitives. [41] A US request to interrogate the detainees was rejected by Yemeni authorities on the grounds that it violated the nation's sovereignty. [13]

On 21 February, an investigative committee published its official report on the escape, charging several prison officials with gross negligence which allowed the jailbreak to happen. [12] On 27 April, officials confirmed that the suspects would be put on trial after the investigation was complete. They also stated that the individuals would be tried in a military court. [42] On 25 May, attorney general Abdullah al-Olufi reported that a military court had put on trial 12 PSO officers accused of negligence leading to the escape. [43] Four officers were convicted of facilitating the escape, while the rest were found guilty of negligence. On 12 July, the court gave sentences to the 12 men ranging from from 8 months to 3 years in prison. [44] The officers were all dismissed from their positions, but kept their retirement payment and remuneration. [45]

Reactions

The escape was a major embarrassment for the Yemeni government and called into question its counterterrorism campaign against al-Qaeda. [46] [15] [47] It lead to a significant strain on relations between Yemen and the United States, and was a setback in their partnership against terrorism. [48] [49] The US may was particularly angered with the fact that Jamal al-Badawi, a facilitator of the USS Cole bombing, was among the escapees, and had previously escaped from prison before. [50] [51] State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack emphasized to the Yemeni government the importance of capturing the fugitives and offered assistance if requested. [52] Speaking at a press conference on 9 February, Homeland Security Advisor Frances Townsend said:

I find the developments in Yemen not only deeply disappointing, but of enormous concern to us, especially given the capabilities and the expertise of the people who were there. We are disappointed that they were all housed together. We are disappointed that their restrictions in prison weren't more stringent. We have spoken with our colleagues in Yemen through our ambassador and expressed this to them and asked them for the strongest and most transparent cooperation so that we can help them. [53]

Several former US officials suspected that the escape was facilitated in some way by elements within the Yemeni government. [51] [35] [54] An anonymous US official described a cable from the US embassy in Sanaa which noted "the lack of obvious security measures on the streets" and concluded that "One thing is certain: PSO insiders must have been involved." [11] A European counterterrorism official called the escape "impossible ... without any involvement of prisons guards, prison administration, etc." [54]

Aftermath

The escapees mostly dispersed throughout the tribal areas of southern and eastern Yemen. [55] Security personnel set up checkpoints around Sanaa in an attempt to capture the fugitives before they could flee to mountainous areas where they could receive tribal protection. [56] The Yemeni government launched searches in Abyan Governorate, as well as in Sanaa and several other areas in the country perceived as strongholds of Islamic extremist groups. [15]

On 5 February, Interpol issued an alert for the 23 escapees, calling them a "clear and present danger to all countries" and urging the Yemeni government to provide the names, photos and fingerprints of the individuals. [57] The organization later stated that they had not issued their highest level notice as it was still waiting for Yemen to provide fingerprints and arrest warrants for the fugitives. [54]

The US Navy issued a statement on 9 February saying that their ships, as part of the Dutch-led multinational Combined Task Force 150, were "monitoring international waters along the coast of Yemen in an attempt to either block possible maritime escape routes or capture the suspected terrorists if they make this attempt." [58]

On 14 February, the Yemeni Interior Ministry announced a YER 5 million reward ($25,600) for information leading to the capture of any of the prisoners, and an anonymous phone line for those who want to provide tip-offs. Yemeni television also aired the mugshots of the 23 escapees. [13] Authorities distributed photos and information on the suspects to all cities, villages and districts in all Yemeni governorates. [59] On 23 February, the FBI added Jamal al-Badawi and Fawaz al-Rabeiee to their Most Wanted Terrorists list. [60]

After the escape, a split eventually materialized between the older and younger generations of the escapees. The older generation managed to cut deals with the Yemeni government allowing them freedom if they agreed not to conduct any attacks within Yemen. [16] This was the case with the capture of Jamal al-Badawi in October 2007. Badawi pledged loyalty to the Yemeni President and agreed to help track down five other escaped militants in return for being freed from captivity. [61] The younger generation on the other hand rejected negotiations with the Yemeni government and continued fighting against it and evading captivity. [16] [61] By late 2007, six of the 23 fugitives were dead (one being killed in Somalia after turning himself in and being released), 11 were in the custody of authorities and six were free, including Badawi. [19] [20] By 2010, only four escapees, Muhammad al-Umda, Nasir al-Wuhayshi, Jamal al-Badawi and Qasim al-Raymi, were still free. [62] They would eventually be killed by US drone strikes in 2012, [63] 2015, [64] 2019 [65] and 2020 [66] respectively.

Timeline

NameCapture or deathDate
Zakariya Ubadi Qasim al-YafaiCaptured by authorities in a raid in Sanaa [67] 17 April 2006
Khaled Mohammed al-BatatiTurned himself in to authorities [68] 21 or 22 April 2006
Fawzi Mohammed al-WajayhiTurned himself in to authorities [69] [70] Before 27 April 2006
Ibrahim Mohammed al-MuqriSurrendered to authorities [69] Before 27 April 2006
Abdullah Ahmad al-Raymi Captured by authorities in Marib Governorate [71] 12 May 2006
Aref Saleh MujaliSurrendered to authorities after tribal mediation [72] [73] 29 August 2006
Hizam Saleh MujaliSurrendered to authorities alongside Aref Saleh Mujali after tribal mediation [72] [73] 29 August 2006
Shafiq Ahmad ZaydKilled himself as part of an al-Qaeda suicide attack [19] [74] 15 September 2006
Umar Saeed JarallahKilled himself as part of an al-Qaeda suicide attack [19] 15 September 2006
Fawaz al-Rabeiee Killed by security forces in a raid in Sanaa [75] 1 October 2006
Muhammad al-DaylamiKilled alongside Fawaz al-Rabeiee [75] 1 October 2006
Mansur Nasser al-Bayhani Turned himself in to authorities [20] Late 2006
Zakariya Hasan al-BayhaniTurned himself in to authorities alongside Mansur Nasser al-Bayhani [20] Late 2006
Yasser Nasser al-HamayqaniKilled in shootout with police in Abyan Governorate [76] 15 January 2007
Abdulrahman BasurahTurned himself in to authorities [20] [77] May 2007
Jaber Elbaneh Surrendered to authorities [78] 14 May 2007
Jamal al-Badawi Surrendered to authorities [79] 17 October 2007
Abdullah Yahya al-WadaiSurrendered to authorities some time before 24 October 2007 [20] Before 24 October 2007
Ibrahim al-HuwaydiSurrendered to authorities after tribal mediation [80] [81] 23 February 2008
Hamza al-QuaitiKilled in a raid by security forces in Tarim, Hadhramaut Governorate [82] 11 August 2008
Muhammed al-Umda Killed by a US drone strike in Marib Governorate [63] 22 April 2012
Nasir al-Wuhayshi Killed by a US drone strike in Hadhramaut Governorate [64] 12 June 2015
Qasim al-Raymi Killed by a US drone strike in al-Bayda Governorate [83] [66] 29 January 2020

Impact

The escape is widely seen as a turning point in al-Qaeda's insurgency in Yemen, and the origin of the contemporary organization in the country, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. [84] [85] Among the 23 escapees, the two who would make the largest impact would be Nasir al-Wuhayshi and Qasim al-Raymi. Wuhayshi, who studied Islam and was a close ally of Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, became a spiritual leader for the fugitives while they were imprisoned, while Raymi lead prayers for the group, gave religious sermons on Fridays, and negotiated with the prison's administration. [50] [86] The militants who escaped have been referred to as the "second generation" of al-Qaeda in Yemen. [87]

In the aftermath of the escape, Wuhayshi became the leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen, being declared so in an announcement in the summer of 2007. [6] Along with Raymi, who was appointed as military commander, the two reorganized and rebuild the group throughout 2007 and 2008. [88] [84] [6] Al-Qaeda in Yemen launched increasingly deadlier attacks in the aftermath of the escape, such as pair of suicide attacks on two oil facilities in September 2006, a car bombing in Marib in 2007 and an attack on the US embassy in Sanaa in 2008. [87] [46] Wuhayshi and Raymi would be among the founding members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in January 2009. [4] Under Wuhayshi's leadership from 2009 to 2015, the group would come to be known as al-Qaeda's strongest affiliate, Wuhayshi himself being identified as the second highest-ranking leader of al-Qaeda entirely. [89] After his death from a US drone strike, Raymi succeeded him as leader from 2015 until his own death from a drone strike in 2020. [66]

References

  1. ↑ "Profile: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula". Al Jazeera . 9 May 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  2. ↑ "Yemen: Al Qaeda's Resurgence". Stratfor . 22 April 2008. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  3. ↑ "Waning Vigilance: Al-Qaeda's Resurgence in Yemen | The Washington Institute". The Washington Institute . 14 July 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 Johnsen, Gregory D. (27 February 2025). "Ignoring Yemen at Our Peril". Foreign Policy . Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  5. ↑ Terrill, W. Andrew (1 June 2013). "The Struggle for Yemen and the Challenge of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula". United States Army War College . Archived from the original on 27 July 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
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  7. ↑ "Is American Among Yemen Escapees?". CBS News . 9 February 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Schuster, Henry (27 February 2006). "Soccer balls, broomsticks aid Yemen jailbreak". CNN . Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "القصة الكاملة لهروب 23 متهما من القاعدة من سجنهم في اليمن" [The full story of the escape of 23 Al-Qaeda suspects from their prison in Yemen]. Al Arabiya (in Arabic). 11 February 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  10. ↑ Roggio, Bill (8 February 2006). "al Qaeda Jailbreak in Yemen". FDD's Long War Journal . Retrieved 23 February 2025.
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  14. ↑ "Prison Break in Yemen: The Risks of Incarcerating Militants in the Middle East". Stratfor . 4 February 2006. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
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  42. ↑ Al-Hammadi, Khaled (28 April 2006). "اليمن: المحاكمة العسكرية للمتهمين الامنيين بقضية هروب 23 معتقلا من عناصر القاعدة تبدأ قريبا" [Yemen: Military trial of security suspects in the case of the escape of 23 Al-Qaeda detainees begins soon]. Al-Quds Al-Arabi (in Arabic). Retrieved 26 February 2025. [Official sources reported yesterday that the procedures for the trial of security suspects involved in the case of facilitating the escape of 23 Al-Qaeda detainees from the Central Political Security Organization (intelligence) prison in Sana'a have been completed and their military trial will begin soon after they have been investigated. They confirmed that higher directives were issued to refer the defendants to the military judiciary to take over the procedures for their trial on charges of negligence and neglect in performing their security work, which enabled the Al-Qaeda detainees to successfully carry out the escape from the Political Security prison.]
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  66. 1 2 3 "US kills Qassim al-Raymi, leader of al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula". France 24 . 7 February 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
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  72. 1 2 "Two Al-Qaeda escapees surrender". Yemen Times . 30 August 2006. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  73. 1 2 "استسلام فارين من عناصر القاعدة" [Surrender of fugitive Al-Qaeda elements]. Annedaa Newspaper (in Arabic). 30 August 2006. Retrieved 28 February 2025. [According to the sources, Sheikh Hadi Dalqam handed over the brothers Aref and Hazam Majli to the security authorities on Tuesday. The brothers were part of the group that escaped from the Political Security prison in Sana’a last February.]
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  81. ↑ "محاولة تفجير انبوب نفط في صرواح وعضو في القاعدة يسلم نفسه للسلطات" [Attempted bombing of an oil pipeline in Sirwah and an Al-Qaeda member surrenders himself to the authorities]. Al-Wahdawi (in Arabic). 23 February 2008. Retrieved 28 February 2025. [Security sources told "Rai News" that Ibrahim Huwaidi, one of the wanted men, took the initiative to surrender himself after mediation by tribal figures and ensuring that his sentence would not be extended.]
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  84. 1 2 Khan, Azmat (29 May 2012). "Understanding Yemen's Al Qaeda Threat". Frontline . PBS . Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  85. ↑ England, Andrew (29 December 2009). "Origins of group traced to Sana'a jailbreak". Financial Times . Abu Dhabi. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  86. ↑ Wassef, Khaled (17 June 2015). "AQAP chief Qassem al-Rimi is no lackey to fill in for Nasir al-Wuhayshi, killed in US airstrike". CBS News . London . Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  87. 1 2 Moutot, Michel (15 January 2010). "Al-Qaeda has not abandoned Yemen". The Telegraph . Sanaa. Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on 14 June 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  88. ↑ Erlanger, Steven (3 January 2010). "Yemen's chaos aids evolution of al Qaeda cell". NBC News . The New York Times . Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  89. ↑ Habib, Maria Abi (16 June 2015). "Al Qaeda's Leader in Yemen Killed in U.S. Airstrike". The Wall Street Journal . ISSN   0099-9660. Archived from the original on 16 June 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
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