A USS Cole Suspect Involved in US Embassy Blast In Nairobi [Archives:2000/47/Front Page]

Sources in Aden told YT that trial of the suspects who attacked the USS Cole would probably begin before the end of Nov. The sources added that six of them will be prosecuted after providing evidence and confessions before the Yemen investigators. Security sources said that they are still looking for 4 other suspects among whom there are some Arabs, two are thought to have left Yemen soon after the explosion. Sources, close to investigators, said that confessions of many suspects in planning and carrying out the act along with prosecution witnesses in the case, the tools, instruments that some of the suspects had and used in the criminal act were arrested and will be brought before the court. All these are enough indications of their involvement in Cole incident. The same sources said all the suspects are members of the Islamic Jihad and one of them is involved in bombing the US embassy in Nairobi. Until now the security authorities think that the attack on the USS Cole was carried out by two Yemenis holding Saudi nationality.
Sources said that the operations main planner, an Arab living in the UAE called Mohammed Omer, was giving his orders to the group members in Aden by phone, and by a code with one of the suspects called Gamal Al-Badwi, a Yemeni national. it is thought that one of the executers of the bombing is called Abdul Muhsin Al Taifi, Yemeni nationality, the one suspected to be involved in the bombing of the American Embassies in Nairobi and Dar ElSalam.
In an interview with mbc, Saturday evening, President Ali Abdullah Saleh said that the bombers are Yemenis who fought in Afghanistan and the Yemeni security authorities have arrested them. He also said that investigations were still going on with all those involved in the explosion. He indicated that there were a few American investigators and they would make investigations for a limited time and that Yemen never welcomes any intruders whatever nationalities they are. He added that Americans made a mistake when they entered the port with such a large size and greatly valuable destroyer without guarding or notifying the Yemeni side to provide such protection.

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