Five Al Qaeda terrorists escape from Yemen jail

Sana'a, June 27 (IANS) At least five terrorists of the Al Qaeda have escaped from a prison in Yemen, the country's official news agency Saba reported.

The five members of the Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) fled Tuesday from a prison in the country's northwestern port city of al-Hodayda, Xinhua quoted an official as saying.

Several members of the Yemeni Al Qaeda wing were recently captured following a US-backed operation in the southern Abyan province.

A security official told Xinhua the terrorists escaped from the "highly-guarded" jail through a 30-metre-long tunnel they dug from their cell to a nearby cemetery.

The incident occurred just after 10 Al Qaeda suspects escaped from a prison in the southern port city of Aden.