Interior minister says that . . . Killed suspects were ‘terrorists’ [Archives:2002/48/Local News]
BY MOHAMMED BIN SALLAM
YEMEN TIMES STAFF
SANA’A – The Interior Minister, Rashad al-Aleemi said Thursday that the operation that was conducted against al-Harethi, known as Abu Ali, and his five associates was conducted by Yemeni-US coordination within the framework of the international anti-terror campaign.
“The six people who were killed in Marib were terrorists and they were planning for new terrorist attacks against oil and economic installations,” he said.
The minister didn’t explain the reason behind the attack and the contradictions of the official announcement.
He further mentioned that the US was in a hurry to claim its responsibility for the attack, whereas, it is supposed for both sides to issue a Yemeni-US joint announcement.
The US claim for killing the six al-Qaeda suspects coincided with Yemen’s official announcement saying that the attack was a result of explosives in the car.
Concerning the procedures that have been taken by the government with regard to Abu Ali, a prime al-Qaeda suspect and five associates of his, the minister made clear that killing Abu Ali and other five associates was within the framework of international anti-terror campaign in accordance with Security Council Resolution No. (13733) for 2001.
He further noted that war against terror has been performed within the Yemeni-US security cooperation and coordination particularly after the explosion of the French Supertanker, Limburg in October.
Sources say that Qaed Bin Senyan al-Harethi and his five associates were planning to launch sabotage acts against oil and economical installations.
Al-Harethi is a suspect in the bombing of the destroyer USS Cole in Aden in 2000, where 17 of US sailors were killed.
He added further that Yemen and its relations with other countries have been affected due to such incidents.
Concerning the reasons behind the delay of the incident, the interior minister pointed out that main reasons behind the delay were related to the security procedures to track down the prime suspects including the one who had escaped.
“The escape of Abu Ali from his hideout to the desert enabled the security men to track down the al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen using the Yemen-US joint potentials,” he added further.
According to the Yemeni Criminal Lab, it has been made clear that the corpses of the six al-Qaeda suspects are:
-Qaed Bin Salem Bin al-Harethi, (Abu Ali)
-Moneer Ahmed Abdullah Assowda, (Abu Obeeda)
-Saleh Hussein Ali (Abu Hammam)
-Aowsan Ahmed Attoraihi (Abu al-Jarrah)
-Adel Naser Assowda (Abu Osama)
Meanwhile, the Christian Science Monitor, US-based newspaper indicated that Edmund Hull, Washington’s top counterterrorism experts, set up successful Predator Hellfire strike.
“US officials, they say, paid local tribesmen for information that helped locate Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi, whom US officials suspected of plotting the strike on the USS Cole in October 2000,” the paper noted.
The paper said “Ambassador Edmund Hull, a short, stone-faced man, braved desert wastelands to meet with the fierce Arab tribesmen who often harbor Osama bin Laden’s terrorist cells.”
The paper added that Hull gathered accurate information of al-Harethi’s move where the Yemeni authorities are unable to do.
US officials hailed Hull had “spectacular success” in collecting information of the top al-Qaeda terrorist in Yemen and his hiding place in the Yemeni desert.
Two weeks ago, Amnesty International wrote US President George Bush to express its deep concern over the attack.
At the same time, the Yemeni government’s permission for the US planes attack constitutes a flagrant transgression to the Yemeni sovereignty stipulated in the article. No (1) of the constitution.
The state’ s stance towards this fatal incident is contradictory to the article (36) of the constitution where Yemen has the right to deploy its own armed forces and to defend and protect the safety and lands of the republic.
It’s believed some Yemeni intend to sue the government over the takedown in Mareb.
“The government is incapable of performing the legal and constitutional duties by itself whether to arrest the terrorist suspects or condemning the US intelligence for killing six al-Qaeda suspects on the Yemeni lands without trial,” said one Yemeni lawman.
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