Investigations into year-end killings continue New fight on terror [Archives:2003/02/Local News]

The Yemeni government announced this week it has plans to take its war on terror to a new level.
Authorities are studying a large-scale plan to fight terrorism, following the increase of acts of violence in Yemen.
This comes following the killing of three American aid workers and the second ranking official in the Yemeni opposition socialist party Jarullah Omar by extremists.
Sources said last week that over 53 Islamists were arrested including students from Al-Eman university whose names were mentioned while interrogating Ali Jarallah and Abed Al-Kamil. The two murderers admitted they were planning to carry out other terrorist operations.
Security sources explained that this new plan states an “increase in the level of cooperation and coordination between the Yemeni security departments and the armed forces in order to fight terrorism and “reinforce security measures around embassies and monitoring foreigners who live in the country.”
The ministry of the interior “is to take strong measures aiming at closing shops for selling weapons and explosives and preventing launching gun-fire in cities and during weddings and celebrations.”Yemeni official reports indicate that more than 50 million weapons exist in Yemen. However, the special law concerning owning weapons, submitted by the government to the parliament is strongly opposed by certain tribal figures.
On New Years Day, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh called on Yemeni security departments to arrest all persons responsible for acts of violence.
He called on the security forces to double their efforts and take all necessary measures to chase every one with links to these committed criminal acts and bringing those who violate security before the justice.
Meanwhile investigations into the assassination of and the killing of the three US aid workers are still going on.
In response to the YSP demand for thorough investigation into the assassination of their leader, the Prosecution returned the case file into the Criminal Investigation Authority for further investigation.
A YSP leader told the Yemen Times that the prosecution demanded further and thorough investigation into the case. The YSP Secretary General, Saleh Ubad, sent a message to the attorney general, Dr. Abdullah al-Ulofi January 6 demanding further investigation and protection of YSP leaders whom he said are becoming a target of an organized series of assassination campaigns.
The YSP earlier denounced the process of the investigation and said it was not thorough, setting up 15 demands of its own relating to the murder investigation.
It demanded investigation into the dialogue between the killer and the chief of intelligence when the murderer was in prison concerning his plan to assassinate Jarallah Omar and the US workers.
A government official denied such allegations Wednesday and described them as baseless.
The YSP has recently set up a five-member committee headed by Dr. Mohammed al-Mikhlafi to follow up the investigation results with the security.
The party complained earlier that it was denied access to probe into the investigation results.
The Islah party demanded January 6 a comprehensive investigation into the case, disclosing to the public the results of the investigation and the assassin’s compliance.
It also called its members to prioritize human rights defence and adopt the culture of dialogue and tolerance.
It has also set up a similar committee headed by MP Mohammed Naji Allaw to the investigations. The two committees of the two parties are expected to work together.
President Saleh welcomed the participation of the opposition parties in the investigation.
However, they harshly criticized the investigation these parties conducted with the killer at the house of sheikh Abdullah Al-Ahmar and described it as a constitutional infringement.
He lashed out against what he called a YSP leader’s ill intention when questioning the murderer’s, trying to influence him to convince the security authorities were behind the assassination plan.
Saleh also criticized some Islah leaders who said in press releases they testified that Omar is a man of religion and used to pray. He said sarcastically that such people make themselves a link between God and people. He said a mistaken religious mobilization was responsible for the assassination of the socialist leader.

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