American recaptured after Bali prison break

Indonesian authorities have recaptured a US citizen accused of drugs offences who escaped from a prison in Bali last week.

Christian Beasley, 32, was caught on the neighbouring island of Lombok.

"He was arrested on Friday in one of the homestays in Senggigi beach at Lombok," Kerobokan prison chief Tonny Nainggolan told the BBC on Monday.

Before his prison break, he had been awaiting sentencing for allegedly receiving a package containing 5g of hashish. It was not clear how much jail time he was likely to get.

He had escaped by climbing over a wall in the notorious Kerobokan prison with a fellow inmate who was recaptured immediately.

Indonesia has very strict anti-drugs laws and frequently arrests foreigners on drug-related charges. The maximum sentence for drug trafficking is death.

Kerobokan prison houses more than 1,300 inmates, three times its capacity. Jailbreaks are common in Indonesia, where most facilities are overcrowded and do not have enough security personnel.

--IANS

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