Trial of al Qa'eda suspects begins in Yemen

Eighteen are charged with planning attacks on civilian targets.

SANA'A // The trial of 18 suspected al Qa'eda militants accused of planning terrorist attacks in Yemen began yesterday in a state security court in the eastern province of Hadramaut.

The defendants have rejected the accusations and demanded their release, a request that was refused by the court.

The trial was adjourned for two weeks, according to the defence ministry website.

The suspected fighters, who were arrested over a period of two years, were accused of planning to commit terrorist attacks on public and private facilities, according to the charges statement.

It added that the men were in possession of explosives and weapons at the time of their arrests.

The suspects also were accused of sheltering al Qa'eda militants from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Sudan, and of having procured passports for militants to travel to Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq to join al Qa'eda-linked insurgent groups in those countries.

Dozens of security and intelligence personnel have been killed and wounded in recent months during attacks claimed by al Qa'eda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Separately, a senior al Qa'eda militant, Jamal Ahmed al Badwi, who is being held in a jail run by Yemen's intelligence services, has been on a hunger strike for the past 15 days, it was reported.

The Al Masdar online newspaper, which is based in Yemen, reported yesterday that al Badwi is demanding his release from the prison.

Al Badwi was tried and was sentenced to death in 2004 for his "mastermind" role in the attack on the USS Cole warship that killed 17 US sailors. His sentence was later reduced to 15 years in prison.

Al Badwi was one of 23 convicted al Qa'eda militants who escaped the intelligence jail in 2006, but surrendered to the authorities in 2007 as part of an agreement with al Qa'eda militants.

Following his surrender, Yemeni authorities released him in return for a pledge not to engage in any violence or al Qa'eda-related activity, despite a reward of US$5 million (Dh18m) for his capture.

The United States was furious at his release and pressured Yemen to send him back to jail.