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| Arabia |
| Yemen nabs a pair of Bigs... |
| 2003-01-30 |
| Yemeni authorities arrested last week two people from al-Eman university affiliated to Sheikh Abdulmajeed Al-Zindani of the Islah Party. Reliable sources said that the intelligence arrested Wednesday a student at al-Eman university named Abduljabar al-Marwani. Two days earlier, the authorities arrested Dr. Ahmad al-Daghshi, a professor at Sana'a and al-Eman universities. The two persons were detained as their names were mentioned during interrogations with the killers of Jarallah Omar and the US doctors. That's two more off the street, at least for awhile... Investigations with the detainees have proven they were all from a fundamentalist Jihad movement headed by Ali Jarallah, assassin of Jarallah Omar. According to the investigators, the cell members were planning to carry out terrorist operations and assassinations targeting several foreign interests as well as politicians, writers and journalists for allegedly adopting and calling for secularism. Omigawd! Secularism! How awful! The list is said to have included over 30 persons. Investigations are reported to have proved a link between the cell and the Yemeni Jihad movement whose members were educated at the hands of the Egyptian Jihad movement members who were deported from Yemen some years ago. The Yemeni authorities have also launched an arrest campaign against the Yemeni Jihad members since 1998, which coincided with a similar campaign against Aden-Abyan Islamic Army members after the Abyan fiasco in which some foreign tourists were killed. The government announced in late 1999 the execution of the army chief , Abu Al-Hasan al-Mihdar. Note that was two years before 9-11. Saleh's regime doesn't screw around with these guys — and since 9-11 they've become serious... Observers believe that the discovery of the Ali Jarallah's cell and making sure that it has links with Jihad indicates that there are sleeper cells of Jihad, Aden army and others which might find a match with al-Qaeda whose members are still being hunted down by the authorities, mainly those people whose names were mentioned in the FBI's lists like Abu Assem al-Ahdal and Fawaz al-Rabee. To meet the challenges of these groups, the Interior ministry announced last week that it is going to launch the second phase of the electronic monitoring on some important places and streets in the capital. It will install cameras that are connected to an operation room in the ministry which will make it easier for the security people to monitor any terrorist activities and thwart them. This phase will target 15 important places. The ministry announced earlier this month that a new security plan to fight terrorism and control outlaws will be initiated. If I was Bush and/or Powell, I'd become better friends with Saleh. I remember how surprised I was, November a year ago, when Yemen started rounding up Bad Guys. I thought at the time it was because we were tromping the Talibs in Afghanistan, and may have been partly right. They were downright uncooperative in the Cole investigation. But since then, Saleh's regime has been doing what it can to clean up the kidnap industry and to break up the terror sympathizers. Unlike a lot of other Arab regimes, he's been as good as his word. The U.S. should recognize that fact, and probably does — though behind the scenes. It's still dangerous to be pro-American in that part of the world. As a side benefit, a secure partnership between Yemen and the U.S. would strike a certain amount of fear in the hearts of the Bad Guys. Yemenis on the Qaeda side are vicious, merciless killers. I have nothing against having some vicious, merciless Good Guys on our side. Who's got moustachios more magnificent than a Yemeni? |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #1 Suprised me to,a Fundimentally Muslem country cracking down on the wackos. They deserve a pat on the back,bet it a no fun in a Yemeni prison. |
| Posted by: Raptor 2003-01-31 06:11:50 |