Bahrain Sacks Prisons Chief after Two Inmates Escape

Bahrain's interior minister, Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah al-Khalifa, ordered Monday the dismissal of the country's prisons chief after two inmates escaped from a main jail, his office said.

Sheikh Rashid formed a committee to investigate the jailbreak from the Jau prison, in southeastern Bahrain, to assess shortfalls in security measures, the ministry said.

He ordered the demotion of the official to the general security department, and appointed another officer as a caretaker under the ministry's supervision.

The interior ministry did not disclose details about the prison escapees.

Scores of Shiites have been arrested, tried and jailed following a March 2011 crackdown on Shiite-led protests that erupted in the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom.

Many others are frequently detained for taking part in unauthorized protests and clashes with security forces in Shiite villages.