Iraqi Interior Ministry Says Tikrit Prison Break Was An Inside Job

Iraq's Interior Ministry says that a prison break in the city of Takrit, north of Baghdad, was an inside job.

A statement by the ministry released late on September 28, which says that there was "clear collusion" between some guards and inmates at the Tasfirat prison in Tikrit.

The statement said weapons were brought into the prison during family visits, and wardens left locks inside the facility open.

Of 303 inmates at the prison, 102 escaped in the jailbreak on September 28, including 47 al-Qaeda-linked inmates awaiting execution.

The ministry's statement raised the death toll in the prison breakout to 20, comprising 16 members of security forces and four inmates.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters