Fatah al-Islam Prisoner Escape Thwarted in Roumieh

Roumieh prison guards have thwarted an attempt by two former inmates to help a dangerous Fatah al-Islam militant flee, the National News Agency reported on Saturday.

Palestinians Wassim Qumboz and Mahmoud Abdul Qader were meeting with Yemeni Salim Saleh during visiting hours on Friday when a guard noticed they were carrying a fake identity card with Saleh’s photograph on it, NNA said.

Saleh, also known as Abu Turab, was immediately taken to another cell and the two Palestinians were arrested for questioning, it said.

According to the agency, Qumboz and Abdul Qader, who were former inmates in the same prison, admitted to faking an ID to help Saleh escape by claiming he is a visitor.

The security forces are also questioning them to find out how they were communicating with the prisoner and whether they were plotting for the escape of other Fatah al-Islam militants.

The Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon was almost totally destroyed in 2007 during a months-long conflict between the Lebanese military and the al-Qaida-inspired Fatah al-Islam.

The fighting killed some 400 people, including 168 soldiers.