SANAA, April 11: Ten Yemenis awaiting trial over the deadly Oct 2000 attack on the USS Cole destroyer escaped from a jail in the southern port of Aden on Friday.

The men cut open the bars over one of the prison windows and slipped out. Jailers realized one hour later that they were gone, officials said.

Among those who escaped was Jamal Badawi, one of the principal suspects held over the attack, which killed 17 US sailors and was claimed by the Al Qaeda network.

Police who inspected the facility after the escape found no trace of the fugitives. Authorities announced a manhunt for the suspects, distributing their pictures to police stations around the Aden area.

Yemeni police have finished their investigation of the 17 men, carried out in collaboration with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and have sent their case to prosecutors.—AFP