ESCAPE OF THREE ISLAMIC JIHAD MEMBERS FROM

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 17073

E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PTER PINR PINS EG
SUBJECT: ESCAPE OF THREE ISLAMIC JIHAD MEMBERS FROM
PRISON


1. (C) SUMMARY. THREE MEMBERS OF THE ISLAMIC JIHAD
ORGANIZATION JAILED SINCE THE AFTERMATH OF THE OCTOBER
1981 ASSASSINATION OF SADAT ESCAPED JULY 17. THEY
OVERPOWERED TWO GUARDS, STOLE THEIR WEAPONS AND ESCAPED
ON MAKESHIFT ROPE LADDERS, SPARKING RUMORS THAT THEY
HAD BOTH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL ASSISTANCE. THOSE
SUSPECTED OF LINKS WITH ISLAMIC JIHAD ARE BEING ROUNDED
UP FOR QUESTIONING, AND AN ENRAGED ZAKI BADR HAS SACKED
A NUMBER OF HIS OFFICERS. HOWEVER, WE ARE ALSO HEARING
GRUMBLINGS THAT THE INTERIOR MINISTER'S POLICY OF
SUMMARY TRANSFERS AND OTHER PUNISHMENTS FOR MINOR
INFRACTIONS HAS CREATED AN ATMOSPHERE OF TIMIDITY IN
WHICH OPERATIONS SUCH AS THIS ESCAPE ARE EASIER TO PULL
OFF. END SUMMARY.



2. (U) THREE MEMBERS OF THE ISLAMIC JIHAD ORGANIZATION
WHO WERE IMPLICATED IN THE ASSASSINATION OF ANWAR SADAT
IN OCTOBER 1981 ESCAPED FROM THE MAXIMUM SECURITY AL
TORAH PRISON IN CAIRO BEFORE DAWN JULY 17. SECURITY
FORCES SNARLED RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC IN A FRUITLESS SEARCH
FOR THE ESCAPEES, BUT REFRAINED FROM ANY ANNOUNCEMENT
OF THE PRISON BREAK UNTIL LATE AFTERNOON. A BRIEF
INTERIOR MINISTRY STATEMENT SAID THAT A SUBSTANTIAL
REWARD WOULD BE OFFERED FOR THEIR CAPTURE. THE THREE
WERE IDENTIFIED AS KHAMIS MOHAMMED MOSSLAM, MOHAMMED
MAHMOUD EL-ASWANI, AND ESAMEDDIN EL-KAMARI.



3. (C) AN EMBASSY SOURCE WITH EXCELLENT CONTACTS IN
THE SECURITY FORCES SAID THAT THE THREE APPARENTLY
ESCAPED ABOUT FIVE AM ON JULY 17, BUT THEIR ABSENCE WAS
NOT DETECTED UNTIL A ROLL CALL SEVERAL HOURS LATER.
THE THREE WERE HOUSED IN A SINGLE CELL FROM WHICH THEY
ESCAPED BY PULLING OUT AN AIR VENT AND THEN
OVERPOWERING A GUARD. THEY TOOK HIS WEAPON AND MADE
THEIR WAY TO THE PRISON WALLS WHERE THEY OVERCAME A
SECOND GUARD IN THE WATCHTOWER AND THEN WENT OVER THE
WALL USING IMPROVISED ROPE LADDERS. CONTRARY TO PRESS
REPORTS, OUR SOURCE SAID THAT NO SHOTS WERE FIRED, BUT
BOTH GUARDS WERE BADLY INJURED. THE ESCAPEES MADE OFF
WITH THEIR SEMI-AUTOMATIC WEAPONS AND SOME 200 ROUNDS
OF AMMUNITION.



4. (C) OUR SOURCE DESCRIBED EL-KAMARI AS BY FAR THE
MOST DANGEROUS OF THE THREE. HE IS A FORMER MAJOR IN
THE ARMY'S ELITE RANGER BATTALION AND HAS A REPUTATION
FOR INTELLIGENCE AND RUTHLESSNESS. HE IS BELIEVED TO
BE THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF ISLAMIC JIHAD'S "MILITARY" WING,
BUT SINCE THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE LINKING HIM DIRECTLY
WITH SADAT'S ASSASSINATION, HE WAS NOT GIVEN THE DEATH
PENALTY. MOSSLAM AND ASWANI WERE CHARGED WITH THE
MURDER OF A POLICE OFFICER IN 1981. OUR SOURCE SAID
THE FACT THAT THEY HAD BEEN HANDLED VERY HARSHLY BY
AUTHORITIES AFTER THEIR ARREST HAS CONVINCED SECURITY
FORCES THAT IT WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO RECAPTURE THEM
WITHOUT A BATTLE. IN AN EFFORT TO TRACE THE ESCAPEES,
A ROUNDUP OF INDIVIDUALS KNOWN OR BELIEVED TO HAVE
CONTACTS/SYMPATHIES WITH ISLAMIC JIHAD HAS ALREADY
BEGUN, AS HAS THE INTERROGATION OF A JIHADIST STILL IN
AL TORAH PRISON.



5. (C) THE ESCAPE OF THE THREE WILL BE A MAJOR
EMBARRASSMENT TO INTERIOR MINISTER ZAKI BADR AFTER A
PUBLICIZED STRING OF SUCCESSES AGAINST TERRORIST
GROUPS. HE MOVED IMMEDIATELY TO CASHIER THE HEAD OF
THE PRISONS DEPARTMENT, AND OUR SECURITY SOURCE SAID
THAT OVER TWO DOZEN OTHER OFFICERS HAVE BEEN CALLED IN
FOR QUESTIONING OR SUSPENDED FROM THEIR DUTIES. THE
APPARENT EASE OF THE ESCAPE HAS ALREADY SPARKED RUMORS
THAT THE THREE HAD ASSISTANCE FROM BOTH INSIDE AND
OUTSIDE THE PRISON. OUR SOURCE ADDED THAT MANY OF HIS
CONTACTS, ALREADY DEMORALIZED BY THE INTERIOR
MINISTER'S AUTOCRATIC AND INTIMIDATING WAYS, ARE
GRUMBLING THAT HIS POLICIES OF PUNISHMENT AND SUMMARY
TRANSFER FOR THE SLIGHTEST INFRACTION HAVE CREATED AN
ATMOSPHERE OF TIMIDITY AND DISCONTINUITY THAT HAMPERS
THE EFFICIENCY OF THE SECURITY SERVICES.


WISNER