Iraqi officials said Saturday that a jailbreak where al-Qaida-linked militants escaped death row had help from inside, further tarnishing state authority and raising new concerns over corruption. A day after the escape in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of Baghdad, scores of prisoners are still at large. The Interior Ministry said there had been "clear collusion" between some guards and inmates in the Tasfirat prison. Weapons were brought in during family visits, and wardens left locks inside the facility open. "The cells were not searched for a long period, which indicates more deliberate negligence that led to this incident," the ministry said in a statement released late Friday. The escape occurred after a riot and firefight that left 20 dead, including 16 inmates and four guards, the statement said. After taking over a large part of the prison, rioters used other inmates as human shields in order to make their way out, it added. Of a total 303 prisoners, 102 escaped, including 47 al-Qaida-linked inmates awaiting execution. Some 23 were recaptured.
