Interpol has issued a global security alert linked to suspected al-Qaeda involvement in recent prison breakouts.
Interpol cited prison escapes in Iraq, Libya and Pakistan, and asked its members to examine if they were connected.
The police agency is also asking member countries to "swiftly process any information linked to these events".
In the most recent escape, 248 prisoners were sprung from a jail in north-west Pakistan.
Taliban militants used automatic weapons and bombs to break down the walls of the jail in Dera Ismail Khan on 30 July. At least 13 people were killed, including six police.
The authorities said 30 of those who fled were "hardened militants" jailed for involvement in suicide bombings and other serious attacks.
It comes after the US state department issued a global travel alert because of fears of an unspecified al-Qaeda attack.
The department said on Friday that the potential for an attack was particularly strong in the Middle East and North Africa.
The US is shutting nearly two dozen embassies and consulates in the Muslim world on Sunday.
