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Five Al Qaeda fugitives who escaped Tikrit prison were arrested, Salahuddin Police reported. Walid Ayyash, the ringleader of the prison break was recaptured as well bringing the number of arrests to six out of 16 escapees. "Early this morning, our forces arrested Waleed Ayash, one of the Al-Qaeda members who escaped from Tikrit prison Wednesday evening," said a high-ranking police officer in the province.
Ayyash who was caught in Albo Ajeel area, 15 kilometers east of Tikrit had been handed four death sentences for "dozens of crimes against police and military members, as well as civilians”, the officer said adding that two other men were arrested in the same region.
An officer in the provincial security operations centre said later that two others were apprehended in central Tikrit.
Security Forces will carry on search operations noting that security has been stepped up at security checkpoints to prevent escapes from crossing over, he noted.
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