None of the prisoners — all suspected members of Al Qaeda in Iraq — managed to break out of the heavily fortified Interior Ministry headquarters in eastern Baghdad.

Ringleader Abu Huthaifa al-Battawi, who allegedly led the October attack on the Our Lady of Salvation cathedral that left 68 dead, was slain as he tried to flee in a car.

The midnight melee at what is supposed to be one of country’s most secure jails heightens doubt about whether Iraqi forces are ready to protect the nation as US troops prepare to leave by December.