PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN // Dozens of prisoners who fled a jail in north-western Pakistan after armed militants attacked it have returned but hundreds remained at large yesterday, an official said.
More than 150 Islamist militants stormed the prison on Sunday outside the town of Bannu near the tribal region where Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked fighters have carved out their stronghold.
"Fifty-three prisoners out of the total 384, who had escaped the jail, have returned voluntarily while 11 others were arrested," the Bannu police official, Iftikhar Khan, said.
Most of those who escaped were militants, including 34 condemned prisoners. A woman prisoner was one of those who surrendered.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, which their spokesman said was launched to get their special members freed.
The attack started at 1am and continued for two hours, with militants in cars and pickup trucks shooting and lobbing grenades to force their way into the prison, which had some 944 prisoners.
A large number of militants had recently been moved to the jail from nearby Kohat and Lakki Marwat prisons, which are being converted into centres to rehabilitate former insurgents.
A former member of the air force sentenced to death for an attack on former president Pervez Musharraf was among the escaped militants, according to officials.
Adnan Rasheed was convicted after a bomb planted under a bridge in Rawalpindi near Islamabad in December 2003 exploded moments after the passing of Musharraf's motorcade. His appeal is pending before the Supreme Court.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
More coverage from the Future Forum