"Captain Moussa Dadis Camara has been found safe and sound and taken back to prison," an army spokesperson told AFP, without specifying the circumstances of the capture.
Earlier on Saturday, gunmen had stormed the main prison in Guinea's capital and freed Camara, the country's justice minister said, announcing the closure of the nation's borders.
The announcement by Justice Minister Charles Alphonse Wright came several hours after heavy gunfire erupted in the Kaloum district of the capital, Conakry.
Other escapees included Claude Pivi and Blaise Goumou, who along with Camara had been detained on charges in connection with a 2009 stadium massacre that left 157 people dead.
A fourth prisoner, Moussa Tiegboro Camara, had already been recaptured, the justice minister said.
It is unclear if the other escapees remain at large.
Camara came to power in a 2008 coup following the death of longtime dictator Lansana Conte. Camara had lived for years in exile after surviving an assassination attempt by one of his bodyguards before returning home to Guinea in late 2021.
More than a dozen suspects were charged in connection with the 2009 massacre, when Guinean security forces fired upon peaceful demonstrators protesting against his intention to run for presidency after seizing power.
For years, Guinea’s government had sought to prevent Camara's homecoming from exile in Burkina Faso, fearing it could stoke political instability. However, another coup in September 2021 put a military junta in power in Guinea that was more amenable to Camara’s return.
Camara testified in court last year that he was sleeping during the early hours of the attack, then awoken at 11 a.m. when he was told that demonstrators had been killed.
Information for this report came from AFP and The Associated Press.
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