Terror suspect flees in prayer stop at mosque
Islamabad - A British terrorist suspect in an alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic commercial jetliners managed to escape from a mosque when his police escorts allowed him to say prayers on their way back to the prison, police said on Monday.
Rashid Rauf, a British citizen of Pakistani origin, escaped from guards on Saturday afternoon after appearing before a district court judge in Islamabad for an extradition hearing relating to a separate murder investigation in Britain.His two escorts were immediately detained and were being investigated for possibly aiding the escape.
"The detained policemen told us that they were going back to the jail with the suspect in a private cab instead of a police van, when Rauf requested that they allow him to say noon prayers at a roadside mosque," one of the investigators said.