Police in Tripoli have confirmed the escape of about 400 detainees after a riot on Sunday at a prison in the southern suburbs of the Libyan capital Tripoli.
According to police reports, detainees were able to force open the doors and leave as fighting between rival militias raged near the prison of Ain Zara.
The guards on duty were unable to prevent the prisoners from escaping as they feared for their own lives, the statement added.
Some of those detained have been convicted of common crimes or were supporters of the former dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, found guilty of killings during the uprising that toppled his regime in 2011.
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