Indonesian law enforcement officials launched a hunt for an immense number of prisoners that escaped from a Jakarta prison on Thursday.
During the breakout, a fire erupted that was put out by the end of the evening-two guards and three prisoners died from smoke inhalation, national police spokesperson Ronny Sompie told the Wall Street Journal.
Sompie told the press that the situation was under control by Friday evening.
Around 240 inmates were estimated as having escaped-64 were captured and brought back Friday afternoon, as hundreds of police and soldiers were sent to Tanjung Gusta prison and the surrounding city of Medan to find runaway inmates, according to coordinating minister for politics, justice and defense Djoko Suyanto.
According to Djoko, riots exploded from within prison walls after inmates grew angry over a loss of electricity and water.
"The prison's diesel generator isn't sufficient," he said.
According to prison directorate spokesperson Akbar Hadi, inmates set offices ablaze and took around 15 officers hostage. All hostages were released by Friday morning.
22 of the escaped prisoners were convicted terrorists-two of them were found and escorted back to jail, Heru Prakosa, North Sumatra Police spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal.
A handful of the 22 were indicted for participating in one of the biggest terrorist training organizations in Indonesia. Other inmates were part of a massive robbery of a CIMB Niaga Bank in Medan in August 2010. About $40,000 was stolen, and believed to fund the aforementioned terrorist training camps.
One inmate who escaped from the prison and is still at large named Fadli Sadama, was serving an 11-year sentencing for smuggling firearms from other countries for the group that robbed CIMB, the Wall Street Journal reported. Fadli is also thought to have worked as a leader of the failed plot to assault the Tanjung Gusta jail two years ago. The plan was meant to free terrorists who had ties to Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian militant group.
