NRI to Investigate Prison Break

DESRINI DISTRICT, CORUSCANT - New Republic Intelligence (NRI) has announced it intends to investigate an incident yesterday in which a Republic shuttle carrying prisoners for transfer was assaulted by a civilian freighter in the skies over Coruscant. The bureau also released a statement identifying the hostile vessel as the Afternoon Delight, a registered Epsion-class freighter, and offered a reward for information regarding the case.

The shuttle was reportedly transferring four prisoners to the nearby Desrini district when it was intercepted by the larger Epsilon-class vessel, which employed a magnetic grappler, small arms, explosives and stun blasts to subdue the crew. No one was seriously injured in the incident, though two security guards were stunned and one prisoner was later treated for minor shrapnel wounds.

Officials had earlier released the identity of Percy Windsor, a male human prisoner aboard the shuttle who is believed to have escaped in the attack. Coruscant Security Forces (CorSec) have surmised that the operation (which has been described by some as one of "military precision"), was intentionally designed to break Windsor out of prison.

The NRI clarified in its statement this afternoon that Windsor, a pilot convicted on charges of starship theft and evading arrest, remains at large but is not believed to be armed or dangerous. As of this hour, officials are still searching for the freighter Afternoon Delight, which disappeared into the underlevels immediately after the incident and hasn't been seen since. The NRI has conceded that it may be difficult to locate the vessel, and has appealed to the public with a 5,000 credit bounty for information on its whereabouts.