400 Inmates Escape in Haiti...Suspected Attempt to Free Gang Leader

On the 25th (local time), Haitian prison inmates who escaped but were recaptured [AP=Yonhap News] / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] More than 400 inmates escaped from a prison in Haiti, Caribbean Sea, resulting in the deaths of 25 people including the prison warden.

On the 26th (local time), according to AP and AFP news agencies, Haitian authorities announced that over 400 prisoners escaped from a prison on the outskirts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and have not yet been captured.

Haitian authorities reported that a shootout occurred during the jailbreak, resulting in 25 deaths, including the prison warden, six inmates, and civilians killed by the escaped prisoners.

Before the large-scale mass escape, the prison was originally holding 1,542 inmates, more than twice its capacity. About 60 inmates who failed to escape and were recaptured are included in this number.

According to foreign media, nearby residents described the situation as "heavily armed assailants shot at prison guards, after which the inmates began their escape."

The exact circumstances of the large-scale mass escape are still unknown. However, some suspect that the jailbreak was intended to free the notorious gang leader Arnel Joseph.

Joseph was arrested in 2019 on charges including murder, kidnapping, and sexual assault, and was imprisoned in this facility. He was a top priority target for the Haitian police and a major headache for the authorities.

Joseph, who succeeded in escaping on this day, was caught during a police checkpoint while fleeing on a motorcycle the next day, the 26th. The police stated that he was shot dead after a firefight. Foreign media confirmed that he had attempted to escape in 2010, 2017, and again in July of last year.

Meanwhile, the prison where this incident occurred had previously experienced a mass escape of over 300 inmates in 2014.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.