(CNN) -- An Iraqi man convicted of kidnapping and killing a British humanitarian worker in 2004 escaped from Abu Ghraib prison last year, Iraq's deputy justice minister said Monday.
It was the first time the Iraqi government had confirmed that Ali Lutfi Jassar al-Rawi was missing. Al-Rawi, convicted last year in the death of aid worker Margaret Hassan, escaped from the prison near Baghdad on September 10, Deputy Justice Minister Busho Ibrahim said.
The escape was an "inside job," Ibrahim said. Some guards gave al-Rawi a prison uniform, enabling him to walk outside the prison in the middle of the day. A number of guards were arrested, he said, and the investigation continues. He did not say how many guards were implicated in the escape.
Ibrahim said officials did not know of al-Rawi's escape until a month ago. The British Embassy last month said Foreign Secretary William Hague spoke of the matter to Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. "Mr. Zebari assured Mr. Hague that the Iraqi government [was] aware of the case and were keen to ensure justice," an embassy statement said. CNN
