Embassy attack suspect denies charges [Archives:2002/20/Local News]

BY YEMEN TIMES STAFF
The man who is charged with attacking the US Embassy, with two hand grenade in March has told a Yemeni court he didnt do it.
Sameer Yahia Awadh, 26, has denied all charges and his previous confessions before the prosecutor that he threw two grenades at the US embassy compound on March 15.
He said in three hearings held at the Penal Court of Sanaa recently that he was arrested by police in front of the embassy as he was passing by.
He confessed that he was carrying a grenade, but for self-defense as he had problems with his relatives.
Awadh said also that he was brutally beaten up by police guards of the embassy.
However, in the prosecution investigation report, Awadh confessed he carried out the attack to protest the US stand supporting Israelis in the Occupied Territories.
The recent events in Palestine invited my outrage and as there is no way for Islamic jihad, I decided to throw the grenades at the US embassy, killing the Americans who support Israel, he said at the time.
He pointed out that he planned and conducted the attack alone without the help of anybody else.
He said he planned for the bombing for five months and he bought three grenades from Jehana firearms market, outside Sanaa at YR 3600.
He said he didnt take any training for using bombs. It is so easy and it doesnt need any training, he observed.
When asked if he was afraid of being killed in the attack, he openly said he wanted to achieve his goal even if he was killed.
My plan was to kill the Americans who support the Israelis, he replied.
After the prosecutor Saeed al-Samet read these confiscations Awadh denied them all.
He said he was pressured and threatened to say so and that most of what has been mentioned in the prosecutors report was fabricated.
I didnt know that he was a prosecutor while interrogating me. I thought he was someone in charge of the prison, said Awadh.
Awadh said he signed against his confessions out of fear.
The suspect in the hearing sessions of Tuesday and Wednesday refused the testimony of the witnesses.
They were four security men guarding the US embassy compound. Awadh said they were from the security and they wanted to cover their shortcomings.
In those sessions he refused to have the court judge assign an advocate to defend him. He chose his own lawyer.
His lawyer al-Fadhal al-Ryashi appeared in the Saturday session. He said the confessions of his clients jotted down in the prosecutors report were not correct.
He admitted the charges under threat which make his confessions wrong, the lawyer said.
He requested the judge to give a chance to peruse the case file so as to be able to defend his client to which the judge agreed.
He asked him to present his defense in the final hearing session.
No one from the US embassy attended the hearing session.

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