One month ultimatum of al-Qaeda Sympathizers ends: So what comes next? [Archives:2002/20/Local News]

BY YEMEN TIMES STAFF
Yemeni security authorities are beefing up security measures around the capital Sanaa after receiving many bombing threats.
President Saleh has recently warned of a plots to carry out acts of sabotage, especially in the middle region (Mareb, Jawf and Shabwa).
Security authorities are also conducting investigations with Arab-Afghan elements, who took part at the war in Afghan to drive out the Soviet occupation. More than 176 al-Qaeda sympathizers are currently detained by the Political Security Office.
On the other hand, Abu Ali al-Harethi and Abu Assem Senyan, two of the most wanted al-Qaeda leaders in Yemen are still at large as the authorities have so far failed to locate their hideouts.
News reports mentioned that al-Ahdal and al-Harethi are involved in the last wave of bombings that targeted the secret police office as well as the residences of its top officials.
Yemeni-US relations are going through a tense time due to the USAs criticism of Yemens security forces and its incapability to track down allegedly al-Qaeda elements headed by al-Harethi and Senyan.
Sympathizers with al-Qaeda have earlier set last Saturday as the end of the ultimatum to release their comrades held at Yemeni prisons or theyll otherwise step up a suicide bombing campaign against top governments officials.
Some of the measures taken by the security to preclude any bombing attempt was the closure of a street passing besides the presidencys office.
The weekly official paper 26 September reported that the government is to close all shops selling explosive materials in an attempt to regulate dealing in this materials.
A sympathizer with al-Qaeda warned the government from its attempts to arrest al-Harethi and Senyan, saying that its not in the government interest to arrest them because this will cause major problems to it.

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