Iraq aid worker killer 'escaped' from jail

The Raw Story | Iraq aid worker killer 'escaped' from jail: "The convicted mastermind of the killing of British aid worker Margaret Hassan was sprung from prison, Iraq's deputy justice minister said on Sunday, the first time his escape has been confirmed.

Judicial officials had for more than a month said Ali Lutfi Jassar al-Rawi, who was sentenced to life imprisonment last year, was 'missing' and that his re-trial over Hassan's murder had to be postponed.

'This guy, he escaped from prison,' Deputy Justice Minister Busho Ibrahim told AFP. 'People facilitated his escape, he is gone.'

Ibrahim added that 'all the people who facilitated this were arrested and are going to court,' but did not specify how many people were detained, or when Rawi escaped.

Earlier on Sunday, Rawi's re-trial at Baghdad's Central Criminal Court had been adjourned until September 19, with a justice official and a lawyer for Hassan's family saying authorities had not been able to locate the defendant for more than a month.

The lawyer for the victim's family, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the court had sent a letter to the justice ministry to inquire about Rawi's whereabouts.

'Until now, the justice ministry has not sent a reply, so the case was delayed,' the lawyer said....

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bth: so was it a month ago that the prison system was turned over to the Iraqis? Note even the lawyer for the Hassan family speaks under condition of anonymity which gives you a perspective on the level of security. Also not the Iraqi government gave the escapee a 1 month head start before admitting the problem.