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Terrorist facing death sentence escapes from Mauritanian jail

Xinhua, January 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

A Mauritanian national sentenced to death for terrorism managed to escape from a prison in the capital Nouakchott in unclear circumstances, security sources told Xinhua Sunday.

The source said the fugitive, Salek Ould Cheikh, born in 1984 in the country's northern region of Atar, is a dangerous terrorist and was sentenced to death in 2011 for attempting to carry out an attack in the capital Nouakchott.

He escaped from Nouakchott central prison on Dec. 31, 2015.

Security services have released the photos of the terrorist and given a hotline for anyone who has information about the whereabouts of the criminal to contact them.

Mauritanian security services, in collaboration with security services in neighbouring countries, have also launched a "massive operation to find the terrorist and bring him before the judicial authorities,"according to to a statement.

The fugitive was arrested in 2001 after security officers intercepted a convoy of three vehicles loaded with explosives, which were heading to Nouakchott. The operation had been planned by Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb. Enditem