DR Congo prison raid springs militia boss

LUBUMBASHI, DR Congo (AFP) - A masked commando Wednesday freed a former militia leader in a spectacular raid on a southeastern DR Congo prison that also sprang hundreds of other inmates two months before presidential polls.

"Commander Gedeon", a top leader of the Mai Mai community-based militia active in the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) east, was sentenced to death in a landmark trial for crimes against humanity.

"Eight armed and masked men got off a minivan and took advantage of visiting day to gain access unnoticed. They opened fire on the police and the military guards, killing two," Katanga provincial interior minister Dikanga Kazadi said.

"They freed a former militia leader and a total of 967 inmates, 150 of whom have already been brought back in," the official said.

The brazen attack on the Kassapa prison, on the outskirts of Lubumbashi, happened at around 10:30 am (0830 GMT), the minister said.

Lubumbashi is DR Congo's second largest city and one of the resource-rich country's major mining hubs.

"Commander Gedeon was the first one to be freed," said Kazadi.

In March 2009, a military court in Katanza found Gedeon Kyungu Mutanga -- his real name -- guilty on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, insurgent activity and terrorism.

The crimes he was convicted for took place between 2003 and 2006 in the Mitwaba, Pweto and Manono regions of the vast, mineral-rich Katanga province.

"After freeing this high-profile detainee, the attackers asked all the other prisoners to leave," the interior ministry official said, adding that a helicopter was scanning to the area in a bid to net scattered fugitives.