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| Arabia |
| Link between Soddy, Yemeni al-Qaeda branches disclosed at trial |
| 2006-03-18 |
| The Specialized State Security Penal Court acquitted Karama Khamis Monday, March 13. Khamis was freed from the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but Prosecution appealed his release, charging him with drug trafficking. Two days prior to U.S. troop arrivals in Afghanistan in 2001, Khamis gave himself in pledge to an Afghan drug trafficker. The pledge was in return for 50,000 Saudi Riyals, increased to 100,000 Saudi Riyals upon the deal’s completion. Khamis brought 2 million Saudi Riyals worth of drugs into Yemen. After three years’ imprisonment at Guantanamo, Yemeni authorities received Khamis in mid-2004. However, he proved to be neither an Al-Qaeda nor a Taliban member. Pakistani troops captured him and handed him over to the U.S. In a separate case, the court released Ghalib Al-Zaidi on commercial bail. Al-Zaidi was accused of hiding Mohamed Hamdi Al-Ahdal, Al-Qaeda’s number two man in Yemen. Following the USS Cole attack in Aden, Al-Ahdal hid in Al-Zaidi’s house for a month and then in Al-Jawf until his December 2003 capture in Sana’a. Al-Zaidi’s release followed his defense attorney’s demand, which stated that he should be released as he had served three years in prison for hiding the first suspect in his house in Sirwah district in Marib. Defense added that Article 190 of the penal law stipulates that whoever hides a suspect should be fined or imprisoned no more than three years. The court also held a hearing on testimony involving Al-Ahdal nicknamed Abu-Asim. The Attorney General confirmed that Al-Ahdal traveled to Afghanistan and Bosnia and collected money for mujahideen in Chechnya. He was accused of collecting money in Yemen for Chechen fighters under the name of the Caucasus Charitable Society. Prosecution said Al-Ahdal trained in various types of heavy and small weaponry in Pakistan and Jalalabad, Afghanistan. The Attorney General affirmed that Al-Ahdal had connections with a man in Saudi Arabia who sent him three cars and money for transporting Al-Qaeda members in Yemen. Al-Ahdal also collected 61,000 Saudi Riyals from some Saudi citizens to distribute among martyrs, prisoners and Guantanamo detainees’ families. Prosecution confirmed that Al-Ahdal met Abu Ali-Harithi after 2001 and became his companion. While living in Al-Huson area, through Al-Harithi, Al-Ahdal became acquainted with two Saudis who traveled to Iran and Afghanistan via Hadramout’s Raian Airport. Prosecution mentioned that Al-Ahdal met an Al-Qaeda financial official at the house of an Al-Qaeda mujahideen named Abdulraziq Al-Amir. He also met Al-Qaeda leaders while in Saudi Arabia. Prosecution disclosed that Al-Ahdal was imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for more than a year for charging some youth with infidelity. Last Saturday March 12, the State Security Specialized Penal Court held its third session to try 17 suspects accused of forming an armed band affiliated with Jordanian Abu Mus’ab Al-Zarqawi. The band, which includes Saudi nationals, is charged with plotting terrorist acts targeting senior government officials and foreigners residing in Yemen. At the hearing, the court allowed suspect No. 1 to affirm his allegation that he voluntarily surrendered electrical circuits to political security, while suspect No. 13, Musaed Mohamed Al-Barbari, was transferred to a legitimate physician. The court also allowed defense team head Abdulaziz Al-Samawi to defend his clients and have a copy of the indictment against Ali Al-Harithi and Mohamed Sa’eed Al-Qabsh. According to Al-Samawi, the indictment is untrue. Al-Samawi said the Attorney General accused the suspects of forming an armed band and planning to travel to Iraq. He pointed out that there are more than 130 court cases attributed to individuals accused of forming armed bands, with approximately 30 suspects in each case, as if all Yemenis have transformed into armed bands. Al-Samawi cast doubt on the authenticity of charges attributed to his clients, saying such harms Yemen’s independence and unity. He commented that authorities filed charges against his clients in response to U.S. Administration demands pressuring Yemen to prevent the suspects from traveling to Iraq. The defense team head said the U.S. Administration exploits terrorism’s spread to exert pressure on Arab regimes to fulfill its demands. He told the court chief to be brave and do the right thing. Al-Samawi noted that the indictment says the suspects were planning to travel to Iraq for jihad. “Jihad is mandatory for every Muslim in such circumstances when we see British troops beating Iraqi children and U.S. soldiers inflicting sexual abuse on Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib Prison,” he added. Seized arms including a gun, a pistol and three cartridges were displayed at the hearing. The court adjourned until concluding appeals at its final sitting Saturday, March 25. The 17 suspects face charges of targeting foreigners and senior government officials, which, according to the court, exposes society to risk. They use forged identity cards and passports and claim they belong to Al-Zarqawi’s group. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |