Yemen convicts al-Qaeda 16-member cell
The Source: Mukalla//hadhramaut.info/sabanews.net - 02/11/2010
Home \
Local News
A court of First Instance convicted Tuesday in Mukalla city of Hadramout province a cell of 16 members of al-Qaeda The court passed a four-year sentence for each of the group members, who were accused of forming an armed gang, plotting to execute terrorist and criminal acts and preparing all the required means, including passports, to travel to Iraq and join the so-called al-Qaeda in Iraq.This came after a court has charged in Sana'a during a trial in absentia US-born cleric al-Awlaki with plotting and incitement to murder foreigners, including a French expert, who was killed early last month in Sana'a.The trial was held as the Sana'a Specialized Penal Court opened a trial of Hisham Muhammad Asim, 19, from Taiz, the guard who killed the French and injured a British in a rampage at the Austrian energy group OMV office on October 6.
Al-Awlaki was designated as the most dangerous enemy of the U.S. with the CIA issuing in April a dead-or-alive warrant for him. The U.S. says he had links with three of those who carried out the 9/11 attacks.Yemen has said it would not extradite him to the U.S. once he is in its custody, because the national law prevents handing nationals to other countries to try them.
It also said that al Awlaki is now wanted by the national authorities on terrorist charges, and when he is arrested he would be tried in Yemen.
|