 Two police officers are among five people arrested in the escape of a Briton suspected of plotting to blow up jetliners.
| No! Reeeeeally? They were in on it? Who'da ever thunkit? |
Britain has sought extradition of Rashid Rauf to question him as a "key person" in the transatlantic airplane plot and as a suspect in the 2002 killing of one of his uncles. He has denied involvement in both cases.
Rauf slipped out the back door of a mosque Saturday. Officials say he tricked police into stopping to let him pray, with handcuffs removed, on the way back to jail after a court appearance on Britain's extradition request. Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz called Rauf's escape "unfortunate" and a serious security lapse.
| "Unfortunate"? That's not the word I was looking for... |
Nawaz said the five arrested include one of Rauf's uncles. Rauf's possible escape routes have been blocked but he had a "good eight-, nine-hour start that has given him some advantage," he said.
| He's probably in Chitral by now, having tea with Binny and laughing his ass off. |
A police official, in confidence, said the two officers were being investigated for negligence and possible links to Rauf's relatives. The escape is a pie in the face an embarrassment for President Pervez Musharraf. Rauf, who is of Pakistani origin, was arrested in Pakistan in August 2006 on a tip from British investigators. |