Cole suspects deny knowledge of evidence [Archives:2004/764/Front Page]

Mohammed Al-Qadhi
The Prosecution looking into the case of the 6 suspected operatives of the USS Cole asked the Sana'a Criminal Court to uphold the case for final hearings, while the third suspect Fahd al-Qas'e denied the material evidences submitted by the prosecution against him.
The court continued the procedures of the tribunal despite the absence of the advocates for the defendants.
On July 7th the court charged the six alleged operatives of the Al-Qaeda terror network in connection with the bombing of the USS Cole October 12th 2000 in Aden port.
The prosecutor accused the suspected terrorists of forming or setting up an armed gang, and joining Al-Qaeda, and planning and plotting terrorist acts against the USS Cole, which affected the Yemeni-U.S. relationship, putting Yemen as a target in the war on terrorism. In the attack in 2000, two suicide bombers, Hasan al-Khameri and Ibraheem al-Thawr, in an explosive-laden boat, rammed into the USS Cole as it was refueling in the port city of Aden. The attack on the U.S. Navy destroyer killed 17 American sailors and wounded 39 others.
During the sixth hearing session last Wednesday, the prosecution continued presenting to the court a pile of material evidence against the defendants including contracts for camcorders, scientific demolitions reports, a boat purchase report, rental of four houses report and others. Attorney Saeed al-Aki said that the prime suspect Abdulrahim al-Nasheri, in US custody and tried in absentia, along with the USS Cole suicide bombers Hasan al-Khameri and Ibrahim al-Thawr, rented some houses in Aden for preparing the boat for the terrorist operation and monitoring the USS Cole while it was refueling at Aden port. He said that the first house was rented from Saleh Hussein al-Akil and used for preparing the boat in its first phase, a second house looking upon the port was rented for monitoring the US destroyer, the third one was used for the final preparations of the boat and filling it with explosives while the fourth for filming the explosion. The prosecutor said that a fifth house was rented in the Hodiedah governorate, wherein the boat was kept when brought from Jizan in Saudi Arabia before carrying it to Aden. He presented the purchase document of the boat that was bought from a Saudi national called Hamoud Bin Hashem, as well as the custom clearance of the boat purchased by the second suspect Jamal al-Badwi, who was absent from the two most recent hearings as he is receiving medical treatment for a wound in his leg resulting from gunfire when he was arrested last March. The prosecution also exhibited deeds of sale for some cars used in carrying the boat. The Nissan jeep, as well as the trailer, were exhibited in the courthouse courtyard before the defendants Fahd al-Qas'e and Mamoon Ahmad Amswah. The court judge and attorneys were present too.
The prosecutor decided that lawsuits can not be made against four people including Hasan al-Khameri and Ibraheem al-Thawr, who died in the suicide bombing, and Taha al-Ahdal who died in Afghanistan; the prosecutor refused to mention the name of the fourth one.

The prosecution also showed a Sony video camera that al-Qas'e was supposed to have used to film the bombing but he overslept. The pager through which he was to be informed to start of filming was also presented at the hearing. It also displayed other reports and reports like the inspection report of the rented houses, a 12-page report submitted by the US government on the damage incurred to the USS Cole, medical reports on the deaths of the 17 US sailors and injuries of 33 others.
Defendant al-Qas'e denied his acquaintance with, or knowledge of, the material evidences like the Nissan car and trailer; when he was asked by the judge about the pager and camera, he said they were given to him by Jamal al-Badwi to keep them with him. The prosecutor said he would read to the court his confessions relating to the evidences, but al-Qas'e said he would prefer doing that in the presence of his advocate. In the hearing, the identity cards forged by the suspects Murad al-Sorori and Ali Saleh Murakab were shown; the prosecutor said they were issued under the name of Abdullah Mohammed Saeed Musawa (Hasan al-Khameri). The two suspects refused to comment on these charges only in the presence of their advocate Abdulaziz al-Samawi.
Al-Samawi told the media he would present a message to the court justifying why he and his friend Khaled al-Anisi decided to boycott the tribunal. He said they were not allowed access to copies of the investigation report, which shows that the trial procedures will lack justice. “There is no need for advocates in this case. We are truly frustrated and pessimistic about achievement of justice in this case,” he said. Advocates earlier quit the tribunal of the other 15 al-Qaeda suspects on trial for operating several terrorist acts, mainly the attack on the French Oil Tanker Limburg. They were not allowed to copy the investigation report. The judge looking into this issue Ahmad al-Jermozi banned journalists from attending the hearings for two hearings.
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