Five individuals, imprisoned for their involvement in “terrorist” attacks and considered “dangerous”, have escaped from Tunisia’s largest prison, the Ministry of the Interior announced on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Justice in Tunisia reported that five dangerous individuals, facing prison sentences related to terrorist cases, escaped from Mornaguia prison near Tunis at dawn. One of the fugitives is Ahmed Melki, also known as “the Somalian,” who was involved in the assassination of opposition politicians. He was arrested in 2014 and sentenced to 24 years in prison in 2017 for his role in the murder of left-wing opponent Chokri Belaïd on February 6, 2013. This assassination led to a political crisis and the transfer of power from the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party to a technocratic government.
The investigations into the assassinations of Chokri Belaïd and left-wing MP Mohamed Brahmi on July 25, 2013, have not been completed even after a decade. Both victims opposed the policies of the Ennahdha party.
The Ministry of Justice has called on all citizens to provide any information that could assist in locating and apprehending the escaped individuals. After the 2011 popular uprising that led to the removal of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia saw the emergence of jihadist groups, resulting in numerous attacks that claimed the lives of tourists and security forces.
As of June 2021, approximately 160 individuals imprisoned under Tunisia’s 2015 anti-terrorism law had been convicted of committing jihadist violence in the country, in addition to around ten Tunisian jihadists who had been extradited and repatriated to Tunisia.
Source: Africanews
