Jailbreak in the Desert: Kuwait's Great Escape Ends in Capture

Three death-row inmates who staged a daring midnight prison break were recaptured within 24 hours after a high-speed desert chase.

Three convicted criminals broke out of a Kuwaiti prison using a remarkably improvised method: crawling through air conditioning vents, scaling a deserted watchtower, and rappelling down the outer walls using a rope fashioned from hoses and clothing.

The escapees were identified as Kuwaiti nationals Ali Manahi Al Subaie and Hassan Salem Al Rashidi—both on death row for separate murder convictions—and Ahmed Mohammed Qatea, a third inmate of undisclosed nationality serving a life sentence for drug offences.

Dramatic footage circulating online captured the three men speeding through the desert in a red pick-up truck, pursued by police vehicles in the Bar Al Liyah area of northwestern Kuwait.

Special security forces and the police air wing tracked and arrested all three within 24 hours. Security forces seized two firearms found in their possession.

The Ministry of Interior issued a firm statement: "The security of society is a red line — justice will reach anyone who attempts to evade legal accountability or assist wanted individuals."