Al-Qaeda Member Surrenders to President Saleh [Archives:2002/02/Front Page]

Qaed Ali bin Sinian al-Harethi from Balhareth tribe in Shabwa gave himself up to President Ali Abdulla Saleh after a hunt-down for several weeks.
This comes after a mediation brokered by Sheikh Ameen al-Okaimi who was able to persuade al-Harethi to surrender himself to the government on the condition that he would not be extradited to the US authorities. Instead, al-Harethi was promised to be tried in a Yemeni court, not in the USA which accused him of having links to al-Qaeda network. Qaed al-Harethi was on the list submitted by the US administration to the Yemeni government following the September 11 attacks on Washington and New York.
Al-Harethi and eight sheikhs from Abeeda and al-Asharef tribe, accused of protecting and hiding him, were transported by a helicopter to Aden. This comes after a fierce armed fighting between contingents belonging to the Yemeni Special Forces and al-Salah tribe of Abeeda which resulted in the death of 33 troopers and tribesmen beside the injury of 30 others.
Republican Guard forces are building up troops in Mareb governorate to crack down on any potential confrontation, while the Minister of Defense, and a number of military commanders are still there.
The Yemeni authorities have deported 80 foreign students who were studying at the Dar al-Hadeth Institute in the Abeeda tribe area.

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