Mastermind of USS Cole Attack Escapes : AFP

A man considered a mastermind of the USS Cole bombing that killed 17 sailors in a Yemeni port in 2000 was among 23 people who escaped from a Yemen prison last week, Interpol said Sunday.

The international police agency issued an "urgent global security alert" for those who escaped Friday from the prison via a tunnel. It called the escapees "dangerous individuals."

A Yemen security official announced the escape of convicted al-Qaida members Friday but did not provide details.

Where's the steady improvements that Pope John Paul II spoke of?
The words of Evangelium Vitae are still in my head:

Today however, as a result of steady improvements in the organization of the penal system, such cases [justifying the death penalty] are very rare, if not practically non-existent.

It's taking a while for these improvements to reach Yemen.