Yemen says its holding 85 suspected Islamic militants [Archives:2002/23/Front Page]

SANAA (Reuters) – Yemen, once seen as haven for Islamic militants, is holding 85 people suspected of links to Osama bin Ladens al-Qaeda network and another militant group, the official Saba news agency reported on Thursday.
Some of those (detainees) are also suspected of committing illegal acts and are being interrogated, Saba quoted a security official as saying.
The detainees belong to al-Qaeda, blamed for the September 11 attacks on the United States, and Islamic Jihad, a militant group operating in several Middle Eastern countries, the official said.
On Wednesday, Yemen told Washington it was committed to supporting the war on terrorism. The government is hunting supporters of Saudi-born bin Laden, also blamed for a suicide attack on a U.S. warship in a Yemeni port two years ago.
Yemeni authorities said earlier they had detained about 170 suspected militants.
Parliamentary Speaker Sheikh Abdullah bin Hussein al-Ahmar, who heads an opposition party, said earlier this month that Yemen was holding hundreds or maybe thousands of people in
connection with the September 11 attacks.
Prime Minister Abdul-Qader Bagammal denied earlier this month that al-Qaeda had a presence in Yemen, but said some of its Yemeni members had returned home.

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