MAURITANIA:An al-Qaeda suspect accused of the Christmas Eve killing of four French tourists in Mauritania escaped from police in the west African country yesterday, lawyers and officials said.
Sidi Ould Sidna asked police to leave him alone for a few minutes to pray, and took the opportunity to escape, judicial sources in Paris and in Mauritania's intelligence service said.
Ould Sidna is accused of gunning down four French tourists last December 24th in a rare attack that sparked worries of rising militant Islamist violence in the usually sleepy country.
Defence lawyers said Ould Sidna (20) gave police officers the slip shortly after a hearing before an examining magistrate in Mauritania's capital Nouakchott.
"The hearing ended at 1pm. We left the chamber and walked the few steps to the criminal court," said Ould Sidna's lawyer, Souleimane Sy. "Then Sidi Ould Sidna went on alone with a police officer. They went towards the law court's police station. Ten minutes later the police officers came back, dumbfounded, saying he had escaped," said Sy.