Posted on 07/07/2004 12:50:12 AM PDT by HAL9000
SAN'A, Yemen (AP) --A Yemeni security court on Wednesday charged six Yemenis in the planning of the October, 2000 bombing of the USS Cole and said they belonged to Osama bin Laden's terrorist network.Seventeen American sailors were killed when two suicide bombers in an explosives-laden boat rammed the USS Cole as it refueled in the southern port city of Aden. The bombing was blamed on bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network.
Among the six charged in San'a Wednesday was accused mastermind Abdel Rahim al-Nasheri, said to be in U.S. custody, but it was unclear where. The other five were in court Wednesday.
Judge Najib al-Qaderi read a list of charges that included forming an armed gang to carry out criminal acts against the interests of the state; belonging to al-Qaida; resisting authorities and forging documents. The defendants present refused to plead and asked for lawyers. The judge scheduled a new hearing next week, saying lawyers should be appointed in the meantime.
U.S. diplomats attended the one-hour session.
Dozens of police officers and soldiers cordoned off the area immediately around the court's five-story building in central San'a while others patrolled nearby streets and watched from roofs of adjacent buildings.
It was the first hearing to be held in a trial of Cole suspects. The trial has been expected to start, then delayed, many times.
In March, Yemeni forces recaptured 10 militants suspected of involvement in the Cole bombing following their escape from prison last year.
Yemen had long tolerated Muslim extremists, but cracked down on such groups following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. It has allowed American forces to train Yemeni troops to combat terrorists.
Wow. Maybe the tide is turning.
Yemen Charges Qaeda Suspects for USS Cole Attack
SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen's public prosecutor charged six suspected al Qaeda militants on Wednesday with the 2000 bomb attack on the U.S. destroyer Cole that killed 17 sailors.
They were also charged with belonging to Osama bin Laden's militant network, forming an armed group and carrying out various criminal acts.
The suspects included Jamal al-Badawi and Fahd al-Qusaa, who are thought to have masterminded the attack.
Leading al Qaeda suspect Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who was arrested by the United Arab Emirates and handed over to the United States in late 2002, was also charged in absentia at the start of proceedings.
The five men in the court, bearded and dressed in blue overalls for their appearance, were allowed to appoint two lawyers and then proceedings were adjourned to July 14.
Judge Najib al-Qadri presided over the trial, which was held amid extremely tight security. Three representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were also present in the courtroom, witnesses said.
In the Cole attack, two men on a small craft laden with up to 500 pounds of high explosives pulled up to the guided missile destroyer and rammed their boat into the vessel as it was refueling in Aden port.
Yemen, the ancestral homeland of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's family, has been battling militants since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States focused attention on the impoverished country at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula.
Badawi and Qusaa were rearrested in March after escaping from jail in 2003. They were among a group of 10 men suspected of links to al Qaeda and the Cole attack.
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said last year that Badawi set up safe houses for the attackers and obtained the boat they used as well as a truck and trailer used to transport the boat, according to press reports.
Ashcroft accused Qusaa of arranging to film the attack from a hillside overlooking the port.
Two years after the Cole bombing, militants believed to be from al Qaeda attacked the French supertanker Limburg off Yemen.
Let's not forget Madam Albright's part in this, either. She wanted to increase our navy's PR image. So, she told the navy to allow 'friendly natives' to get close to our ships, to smile and wave, etc. It was like a remake of the Bounty's visit to a friendly tropical island.
Good news BUMP!!!!
Really good news!
Hi, MEG33
Very Best FReegards and a BUMP!!!!:-)
Groundhog Day.
We are fortunate that our government is led by someone who does understand, as President Clinton has said, "If women can live and work as equal partners in any society, then families will flourish. And when they do, communities and nations will thrive." Vice-President Gore has also been an outstanding leader in advancing the status of women, and I was delighted to learn that Tipper Gore will be addressing your conference this afternoon.As a result of their support, our overseas programs today include many projects designed to help women gain redress, achieve access, and make progress.
For example, we recently gave $17 million in American wheat to Yemen, which sold it and used the proceeds for rural health and girls' education.
Those sailors died so Albright could appear trendy.
If I am not mistaken, there was a thread yesterday which mentioned AQ will make Yemen the next battleground in an effort to spread us too thinly too be effective any longer. This ruling by the court may trigger the beginning of those events?...
Arthur, do you have a source for that quote? I may need it for a project I hope can be funded.
More dividends for President Bush's "Strategery."
Pessimism. It doesn't matter where they open battlegrounds, the US is not going to have troops in Yemen. It is more than likely that these terrorists will be put to death before they can start any battles, and that should go a long way towards deterring any other terrorists from causing problems in Yemen.
I wonder how long before Bill Clinton takes credit for this. Shorly after the Cole bombing, he said that we would hunt them down and bring them to justice.
Let him DARE. He is a POS.
He's still crying because he wasn't asked to make an address at the Reagan ceremonies.
I really started to hate him when he was caught on camera shedding the fake tears (after being filmed laughing just before) at the funeral for (was it?) Ron Brown.
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