12 killed as convicts riot, escape from Iraqi prison

TIKRIT: Prisoners seized weapons and set off hours-long clashes with security guards at a prison in Saddam Hussein’s hometown that left 12 dead, including 10 guards, before dozens of inmates managed to escape from the facility, Iraqi officials said yesterday.
The escaped prisoners included Al-Qaeda suspects, said a provincial spokesman, though he could not say whether the terror group was behind the jailbreak in Tikrit.
The prison riot erupted on Thursday night. Several inmates broke into the prison storeroom, grabbing weapons that were kept there and overpowering the guards.
The prisoners then engaged in a long gun battle with security troops inside the facility before breaking out hours later. By yesterday morning, troops had regained control of the prison and a curfew was imposed.