Counter-terrorism court discloses: Assassination plots against government dignitaries [Archives:2005/843/Front Page]
Yasser Mohammed Al-Mayyasi
SANA'A, May 16- The counter-terrorism court disclosed in its Monday sitting a new shocking fact, when the prosecution forwarded a list of targeted senior government officials.
According to the prosecution, the list is topped by Prime Minister Abdulqader Bajammal and includes Abdullah Ali Elaiwa Minister of Defense, Rashad al-Alimi Minister of Interior, Ghalib al-Qamsh President of the Intelligence Organization and Abdulkarim al-Eriani Secretary General of the PGC.
The prosecution confirmed it took these names from a personal computer owned by the Anwar al-Jailani, an Iraqi with a Swiss citizenship who was tried at a previous session.
The prosecution said that the documents found recently contain plans and activities of “al-Tawhid Battalions Organization”, believed to have stood behind operations in Saudi Arabia including offenses against al-Dhahran Military Base and U.S. restaurants and hospitals as well as doctors working in Saudi Arabia.
The Prosecution disclosed the structure of al-Tawhid Battalions Organization's cells in Yemen, the way the organization operates and its hierarchies. The organization was found to be composed of 3-member cells. It also unvailed how the suspects stored their arms, contacted other cells and assigned the targeted strategic sights, in addition to mechanisms of contact with terrorist cells.
The top defendant denied claims of the prosecution and did not know anything concerning the list of targeted government dignitaries.
Abdulaziz al-Samawi, defense-advocate of suspect Anwar al-Jailani commented the claims of the prosecution are fabricated by the security apparatuses, pointing out that the ages of the suspects do not appear in harmony, with claims and documents presented by the prosecution.
Lawyer al-Samawi demanded his client Anwar al-Jailani be referred to a doctor to diagnose his illness, but the prosecution refused to accept the request.
On its part, the court rejected the lawyer's request under the pretext that the suspect was previously referred to a legal physician, who confirmed that the suspect is in good health.
At the session, Hamoud al-Manifi, lawyer of defendants No. 7 and 8 claimed that the penal court is not the party concerned to look into the case of suspect No. 8 Amran al-Faqih, accused of forging ID documents for his Egyptian wife. Meanwhile the prosecution said it is not the party concerned to file the case to the court, and only the Passports Prosecution has the right to do so, according to the law. Al-Manifi called for release of his client whose health deteriorates from day to day since his heart is placed to the right of his chest.
At the conclusion of the sitting, the court allowed top defendant Anwar al-Jailani to telephone his mother and ordered the prosecution to keep seized documents and other evidence until next Monday's session.
Additionally, the prosecution has shown other documents including checks, rent contracts of a house and cars that are still maintained for surveillance and photocopy purposes. It added that defendants used to exploit the checks and nobody knows who the beneficiary is.
It is worth mentioning the 8 suspects were referred to the court over charges of plotting terrorist operations and assaults on western interests in Yemen, as well as assassination plans against senior government officials.
The armed band included 13 suspects but the prosecution excluded five since there is not enough evidence to confirm their charges. The band is led by top defendant Anwar al-Jailani, an Iraqi with a Swiss citizenship, who is aided by two Syrians and five Yemenis, who were captured in Yemen.
——
[archive-e:843-v:13-y:2005-d:2005-05-19-p:front]
