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Yemen frees 92 ârepentantâ al-Qaeda followers
One of the terms specified in al-Qaedaâs communique calling for negotiations with the Yemeni government was a release of its members and an end to pursuing the free ones. Saleh could be trying to meet at least some of those demands. -DanYemenâs government today freed 92 followers of the al-Qaeda terrorist network after they promised to behave. A further 1,500 other inmates were also released in a Ramadan amnesty, a Yemeni judge responsible for dialogue with suspected terrorists said. The judge, Hammoud al-Hitar, added that 65 detainees suspected of terror-related crimes, including suspects in the bombing of the USS Cole in October 2000, would be put on trial after the end of this month. Why bother? -Paul Al-Hitar, who heads a committee that encourages terrorists to renounce violence, told The Associated Press that the 92 al-Qaeda suspects arrested since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, had repented and promised to obey Yemenâs constitution and laws. Iâll believe it when I see it. Right now this looks to a cynical observer like myself as at least in part a potential way to meet al-Qaedaâs demands without publicly acknowledging that one is doing so. -Dan They declared they would respect "the rights of non-Muslims, their lives, money, and (promised) not to target embassies of friendly countries," al-Hitar said. The dialogue with the detained terror suspects began at the end of last year. At least 70 repentant militants have been released by Yemen in the last two years. Al-Hitar said his committee has had meetings with 246 terrorists. He told the AP that 65 terror suspects, including those arrested in the Cole bombing that killed 17 Americans, will be referred to trial after the three-day feast following Ramadan, which concludes near the end of this month. Al-Hitar did not specify a date. Posted by: Paul Moloney & Dan Darling 2003-11-17 |
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