Gitmo Prisoners Ambushed Guards with Fake Suicide
Fri, May 19, 2006 at 5:18:06 pm PDT
The earlier report that Guantanamo guards were attacked by inmates while trying to stop a detainee from committing suicide was inaccurate.
The guards were lured into a cell by a staged suicide attempt, then ambushed by the prisoners: US guards battle Guantanamo inmates in wild fight.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ten Guantanamo prisoners lured U.S. guards into a cell with a staged suicide attempt, then attacked them with light fixtures, fan blades and other improvised weapons while guards fired rubber balls and used a grenade launcher to subdue them, U.S. officials said on Friday.
The officials called Thursday’s clash the most intense outbreak of violence at the jail for foreign terrorism suspects at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since it opened in January 2002.
Six prisoners were treated for “minor injuries” and none of the U.S. guards was seriously hurt after the fight pitting 10 inmates against 10 U.S. guards, the officials said. The fight ended only after guards blasted detainees five times with a 12 gauge shotgun shooting rubber balls and used a grenade launcher that shot a blunt rubber object, officials said.
While guards were putting down the fight, detainees in nearby cells began rioting, destroying cameras used to monitor them, fans, florescent lights and other property, officials said. ...
“The detainees had slickened the floor of their block with feces, urine and soapy water in an attempt to trip the guards. They then assaulted the guards with broken light fixtures, fan blades and bits of metal,” said Navy Rear Adm. Harry Harris, who commands the Guantanamo facility.
The clash took place in Camp Four, a medium-security facility with communal living arrangements, Harris said.
The timeframe on this incident is unclear, but it seems to have coincided with the release of 16 prisoners. Is it possible these jihadis were trying to make a last-ditch break for it and hijack the Saudi 747 waiting to take freed prisoners back to the Royal Kingdom?
