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Arabia

Al Qaeda suspect in Yemen claims was tortured

2005-05-31

The suspected ringleader of an Al Qaeda cell on trial in Yemen for allegedly plotting attacks on Western targets in Gulf states on Monday retracted past confessions which he said were obtained by torture. His claims came as the trial reconvened of the eight suspected Al Qaeda militants, accused of being members of an organisation named Katab al-Tawhid and also charged with seeking to assassinate senior Yemeni officials. "I was forced under pressure and torture by political security (intelligence) to confess statements that were presented in previous hearings," 22-year-old Iraqi defendant Anwar al-Jilani told the court. But his request to be interrogated again was rejected by the court. State prosecutors presented evidence against the defendants that included explosives, as well as grenades, an automatic rifle, a personal computer and a camera. But Jilani, and the other suspects, including two Syrians, rejected the evidence. "I have nothing to do with all documents extracted from my personal computer as evidence," Jilani said. "Yeah! Just because it's my computer don't mean it's my stuff! An' how do youse know those're my hand grenades?" The representative of the state prosecution had claimed in the previous hearing that the allegations were based on documents found in the personal computer of Jilani. The other suspects are Mohammad Abdelwahhab Bakri, a 24-year-old Syrian, and his brother Ahmad, 22, as well as five Yemenis: Khaled al-Batati, 23, Salah Othman, 33, Omran al-Faqih, 31, Abderrahman Basira, 25, and Majed Mizan, 21. The trial, which opened March 28, was adjourned until June 6.

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Arabia

Militants Planned to Kill Yemen's PM, Court Told

2005-05-17

Eight militants on trial in Yemen over alleged plots to blow up Western embassies in the Arab state had also planned to assassinate top government officials including the prime minister, prosecutors told a state security court yesterday. Chief Prosecutor Saeed Al-Aaqil told the court the suspects — five Yemenis, two Syrians and an Iraqi — planned to kill Prime Minister Abdul-Qader Ba-Jammal as well as the defense and interior ministers, the chairman of the intelligence services and a presidential adviser. He said the allegations were based on documents found in the personal computer of the prime suspect, Anwar Al-Jilani, a 20-year-old Iraqi. Aqal said the group planned to attack the headquarters of Yemen's intelligence services, the Parliament, state radio and television stations, the central bank and civil aviation offices. He said the eight suspects were members of an organization named Katakb Al-Tawhid. The word "Tawhid" always makes me think "Zarqawi." The other suspects are Mohammad Abdelwahhab Bakri, a 24-year-old Syrian, and his brother Ahmad, 22, as well as five Yemenis: Khaled Al-Batati, 23, Salah Othman, 33, Omran Al-Faqih, 31, Abderrahman Basira, 25, and Majed Mizan, 21. Defense attorney Abdel Aziz Samawi condemned the allegations in court yesterday, asserting that "the documents are fabricated by the representative of the public prosecutor". "Lies! All lies!" Samawi called on the judge not to bow to "foreign intelligence services and the United States in an attempt to persuade them that we are combating terrorism."

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Arabia

Al-Qaeda Suspects Planned Attacks Across Gulf

2005-05-10

Eight suspected Al-Qaeda militants on trial in Yemen had planned attacks on Western targets in five of the six Gulf Arab states, the prosecutor said yesterday. The eight defendants, accused of conspiring to attack the British and Italian embassies in the Yemeni capital, also planned attacks in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Said Al-Aqal told the court. Targets included "joint venture banks, American restaurants ... US and other expatriate hospital doctors, and managers of foreign companies and international schools," Aqal said, citing documents seized by police. The eight defendants, who include an Iraqi and two Syrians, went on trial on March 21, the same day that verdicts were delivered in the related trial of 11 Yemeni suspects. The eight stand accused of forming an armed gang, forging passports and other documents, and possessing arms and explosives. At a previous hearing on March 28, Iraqi defendant Anwar Al-Jilani, 20, admitted collecting information on Western targets in Sanaa but denied any role in carrying out attacks. "No, no! Certainly not!" Abdul-Aziz Al-Samawi, the defense lawyer of Al-Jilani, rejected the new charges and told the court he wanted to review the documents. "Based on these documents, my client must have been acting like the Pentagon," Al-Samawi told the court. The seven other suspects standing trial are Khaled Al-Batati, 23; Salah Othman, 33; Omran Al-Faqih, 31; Abdurrahman Basira, 25, and Majed Mizan, 21, both former residents of Saudi Arabia; Mohammad Abdulwahab Bakri, a 24-year-old Syrian, and his brother Ahmad, 22. The 11 Yemenis whose related trial concluded on March 21 are currently facing an appeal by prosecutors after five were acquitted and six received two-year jail terms for forging passports and other documents. The appeal court announced it would deliver its verdict on June 18 after a final hearing on Saturday.

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Arabia

Yemen Jails Six Al-Qaeda Suspects

2005-03-22

A Yemeni court sentenced six Yemeni Al-Qaeda suspects to two years in jail yesterday for forging travel documents to try to join militants fighting US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Five other Yemenis arrested in the same case were acquitted. All 11 men were acquitted of another charge of setting up an armed group to carry out attacks in Yemen. "Allahu fubar! God is Greatest," the men shouted after the verdict was read in court. They were among a group of 14 Al-Qaeda suspects detained for alleged links to militant attacks in Yemen. Three were released due to lack of evidence before the trial began in February. Lawyers said six of the defendants had been handed over to Yemen by Saudi Arabia. The men, aged between 24 and 35, had originally been charged with forming an armed group to carry out attacks in Yemen and abroad. Other charges included forging documents, possession of weapons and explosives. The court's presiding judge, Najeeb Al-Qadri, said there was no evidence to substantiate that the 11 men had plotted attacks either in Yemen or in other countries. Al-Qadri cleared five defendants of all charges and handed down two-year prison terms to each of the remaining six. Defense lawyers have argued that the case was based on "weak charges". "The prosecution failed to provide evidence that our clients were involved in planning or carrying out any terror acts in Yemen or any other country," defense lawyer Muhammad Al-Ezzani told the court. "The whole case is based on weak and fabricated charges," he said. Prosecutors told the court the defendants had tried to join militants battling US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. All the men pleaded not guilty, saying that they were even not acquainted with each other. The 11 suspects were among a group of 26 men detained for Al-Qaeda links. Fifteen of those suspects were set free due to lack of evidence. Mohammad Al-Kazmi, Ahmad Al-Qardaei, Saddam Hussein Al-Hussami, Abdullah Al-Wadei, Faris Al-Barraq and Shafik Zaid were sentenced to two years in prison each. Faris Al-Nahdi, Abdul Raouf Nassib, Mansur Al-Bijani, Ibrahim Al-Maqri and Mohammad Hatem were acquitted. The court later began the trial of another batch of suspects charged with plotting to attack Western targets in Sanaa. The prosecution has accused the eight, including a Swiss citizen of Iraqi origin, of plotting to attack the British and Italian embassies and the French cultural center in the Yemeni capital. The eight are Iraqi-born Swiss national Anwar Al-Jilani, 20; Khaled Al-Batati, 23; Salah Othman, 33; Omran Al-Faqih, 31; Abdurrahman Basira, 25, and Majed Mizan, 21, both former residents of Saudi Arabia; and Mohammad Abdulwahab Bakri, a 24-year-old Syrian, and his brother Ahmad, 22. Their trial was adjourned until March 28.

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