Yemen nabs second militant in days - Imam al-Sherif

Reuters ^ | 3/4/04

[areafiftyone]

SANAA, March 4 (Reuters) - Yemen has captured a top Egyptian militant with suspected links to al Qaeda, the second arrest of a senior militant in the south of the country this week, a government party Web site reported on Thursday.

The militant was believed to be Egyptian Imam al-Sherif, founder of the Jihad group which Osama bin Laden's right hand man Ayman al-Zawahri once headed, said almotamar.net, Web site of Yemen's ruling party GPC.

Jihad, under Zawahri, joined ranks with bin Laden in 1998 in an alliance which they said would strike U.S. and Jewish interests.

If confirmed the arrest of Sherif would be the second such breakthrough in days in the hunt for suspected militants in Yemen, the ancestral home of bin Laden whose al Qaeda group is blamed for the September 11, 2001 attacks on U.S. cities.

A Yemeni government official confirmed on Thursday that security forces had arrested local al Qaeda leader Abdul Raouf Nassib, also known as Abu Mihjim in the southern mountainous Abyan province.

The official accused Nassib of masterminding the 2003 jail break by al Qaeda suspects believed involved in an attack on the U.S. warship Cole.

Yemen has been battling militants since the September 11, 2001 attacks on U.S. cities focused attention on extremists in the impoverished country at the tip of the Arabian peninsula.

(Reporting by Mohammed Sudam and Ghaida Ghantous; editing by Diana Abdallah)

[Cap Huff]

I think that Imam al-Sherif is the guy that was first said to have been taken when the story first broke about a day ago. Later the other name surfaced.

This is obviously in Breaking News, but I'll ping anyway.

[areafiftyone]

I thought the first guy was Abdul Raouf Nassib. But I might be wrong. Reuters has this as happening 55 minutes ago.

[Cap Huff]

You are right, Nassib was the first guy, but before his name came out that Imam al-Sharif I think was mentioned as a possibility. Out of curiousity I'm looking for the first item on the story.

[Cap Huff]

Here:

“Officials declined to say whether Imam al-Sherif, a prominent Egyptian militant, was among those surrounded in the mountainous region in the southern Abyan province.”

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1089929/posts

[Dog]

According to this Washington Times article....there are between 150 to 200 terrorist hiding in this mountain enclave they have surrounded.

Here.

[Cap Huff]

In a Reuters story yesterday about an attack on a co-ed school:

"A local official said one of the wanted men is believed to be Imam al-Sherif, a top Egyptian militant and a founding member of the Jihad group which Osama bin Laden's right-hand man Ayman al-Zawahri once headed. Some reports said Sherif may already be in police custody."

Obviously they got him.

Yemen hunts militants who attacked co-ed school

[areafiftyone]

Thanks so much! It's great when you can always depend on Freepers to give the most uptodate news! :-)

[No Blue States]

The source said the authorities have served a 48-hour ultimatum to the militants hiding in Abyan to surrender unconditionally before a major military operation is initiated on Friday. Between 150 and 200 Muslim militants of Yemeni, Saudi, Algerian and Egyptian nationalities, are believed hiding in Abyan.

Tic, toc, tic, toc.. 48 hours and less now, chose well scumbags.

[Cap Huff]

Whoa! That would make a nice haul! Now lets hope they get them and keep them. By the way, I did see earlier where they talked about dozens of terrorists surrounded when they reported the first fifteen or so.

[jackibutterfly]

"Yemen has captured a top Egyptian militant. . ."

What is this "militant" garbage? Terrorist, come on, say it Reuters, TERRORIST!!!!! Repeat after me, TERRORIST, TERRORIST, TERRORIST . . .

[Grampa Dave]

Reuters on about 9/12/2001 banned the use of the word terrorist when connected to any middle east bozo.

[jackibutterfly]

ye gods! Thanks for the update. What weasels, huh?

[curmudgeonII]

Can anyone enlighten me as to why Yemen has been so cooperative since 9/11?
I think it's great that they are, but I was under the impresion that they were pretty anti-American.

[areafiftyone]

Could it be that since Al Qaeda has been targeting their own kind and not just Americans they are starting to get worried? Al Qaeda is making a huge Blunder because now they are killing fellow Muslims.

[Grampa Dave]

Reuters is beyond weasels.

Reuters is 100% anti America, Jews, Israel, Christians and GW. During the war in Iraq, their articles were either a quagmire, US losing or US kill billions on innocent Iraqis.

Unfortunately, they have very little competition in world news and financial news in the US and around the world.

[Grampa Dave]

Al queda and their thugs have been killing Muslims who don't agree with them for about two decades now.

[Grampa Dave]

Al queda and their thugs have been killing Muslims who don't agree with them for about two decades now.

[jimbo123]

(Reporting by Mohammed Sudam and Ghaida Ghantous; editing by Diana Abdallah)

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for the best laugh of the day: :)

(Reporting by Mohammed Sudam and Ghaida Ghantous; editing by Diana Abdallah)