A dangerous Tajik criminal, who broke out of state prison together with other 24 convicts on August 23, was killed during a special operation, interior ministry Chief of Staff Tahir Normatov said.
Rahmiddin Azizov, 38, wounded two State National Security Committee officers who had been pursuing him in the Fayzabad region of Tajikistan, 65 kilometers from Dushanbe.
"He offered armed resistance. A Kalashnikov submachine gun and cash have been found at the scene," Major General Normatov said.
Azizov, a former officer of the Rasht region's Emergency Situations Committee, was serving a life sentence for several serious crimes. He and his brother Zaidullo were detained in July on suspicion of membership of an armed band, led by their third brother Negmat.
At time of the August jailbreak, the 25 convicts killed six prison guards. Seven of the inmates have already been detained, 17 remain at large.
The incident occurred after 1 a.m. when one of the convicts attacked a duty officer, took his keys and opened the cells of the other inmates. The prisoners later seized weapons from the duty room and opened fire on the guards.
A search for the prisoners has been launched across the country. Tajik authorities have asked Russia and Afghanistan to provide assistance in searching for the escapees.
DUSHANBE, September 26 (RIA Novosti)
