On Wednesday, the Egyptian security authorities announced the killing of four prisoners on death row as they tried to escape from prison, which also resulted in the killing of three police officers.

The Egyptian Ministry of Interior said in a statement that “four of those sentenced to death and those in death row in Tora Prison tried to escape from inside the prison this morning (Wednesday).” The statement added, “The security forces confronted them with what resulted in the martyrdom of two officers and one policeman, and the death of the four convicts,” without giving further details about the incident. The killed prisoners are Al-Sayed Ata Muhammad, Ammar Al-Shahat Muhammad Al-Sayed, Hassan Zakaria, Motamed Morsi, and Madih Ramadan Hassan Ala El-Din. A security official, who preferred not to be named, said that the four were convicted in “terrorism” cases.

Activists and human rights activists have questioned that account, pointing out that the high security Scorpion Prison is one of the most secured prisons in the country and is impossible to escape from.