Monday, August 19, 2013 – 07:37 Authors: Mada Masr

A security statement confirmed the death of 36 Muslim Brotherhood supporters in custody on Sunday as they reportedly tried to escape from a truck transferring them to a prison facility. In its statement, the Ministry of Interior explained that the deaths occurred of suffocation as police fired tear gas to prevent them from fleeing and to liberate an officer who was taken hostage by them inside the truck. The prisoners were being transferred to the Abu Zaabal facility. The state-run Middle East News Agency reported that the escape attempt involved 612 inmates who were in the convoy as they were being handed to the Abu Zaabal prison facility in Qalyubia. The truck was reportedly attacked by an armed group. In its narrative of the event, the Muslim Brotherhood said that the number of those killed exceeds 200 and that there was no attempt by the prisoners to escape. Citing an anonymous lawyer, the Freedom and Justice Portal, affiliated with the Brotherhood, reported that there was no prisoners‘ transfer at that time and that prison sources told them that a group of Muslim Brotherhood detainees was abruptly transferred from their shared cell on Sunday afternoon, and taken to another cell, suggesting that they were assassinated. Over 1000 people died in clashes between Muslim Brotherhood supporters from one side, police, army and civilians from the other, since August 14, when the security started dispersing two main sit-ins calling for the reinstatement of deposed President Mohamed Morsi, a Brotherhood leader.

via 36 Islamist inmates killed | Mada Masr.