Posted on 09/29/2004 1:55:16 AM PDT by kattracks
SAN'A, Yemen - A Yemeni judge sentenced two men to death and four others to prison terms ranging from five to 10 years Wednesday for orchestrating the 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole (news - web sites), an attack blamed on Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s terror network.Saudi-born Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who is in U.S. custody at an undisclosed location, and Jamal al-Badawi, a 35-year-old Yemeni, were both sentenced to death for plotting, preparing and involvement in the bombing, which killed 17 U.S. sailors as their destroyer refueled in the southern Yemeni port of Aden.
Al-Nashiri, believed to be the mastermind of the Oct. 12, 2000 bombing, was the only one of the six defendants not in the heavily guarded court to hear the sentences. The other five defendants are all Yemenis.
"This verdict is an American one and unjust," al-Badawi yelled from behind the bars of a courtroom cell after judge Najib al-Qaderi sentenced him to death. "There are no human rights in the world, except for the Americans. All the Muslims in the world are being used to serve American interests."
The United States announced al-Nashiri's arrest in 2002. He was detained in the United Arab Emirates and transferred to American custody. U.S. officials believe he is a close associate of Saudi-born bin Laden, who is believed to have masterminded the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
In addition to the Cole attack, al-Nashiri is suspected of helping direct the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
The six men were all charged with belonging to al-Qaida and playing various roles in the attack on the Cole, which was carried out by suicide bombers Ibrahim al-Thawr and Abdullah al-Misawa, both Yemenis, who rammed an explosives-laden boat into the destroyer.
"The evidence obtained by the court affirms the collaboration of the defendants in the case ... which harmed the country, its reputation and threatened its social stability and security," judge al-Qaderi told the court before issuing his sentences.
Al-Qaderi sentenced Fahd al-Qasa to 10 years in jail for filming the bombing, which left a gaping hole in the side of the destroyer, which was later repaired and returned to service.
The court has heard that al-Qasa had traveled to Afghanistan (news - web sites) in 1997 to train at an al-Qaida terrorist camp, but it was unclear how long he spent there before returning to Yemen, a tribal-dominated country located at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula.
Maamoun Msouh received an eight-year prison term for delivering money used in preparing and executing the attack and playing a close role in assisting al-Badawi.
Ali Mohamed Saleh and Murad al-Sirouri were both sentenced to five years in prison for forging identification documents for al-Misawa, one of the suicide bombers.
All the men sentenced on Wednesday are expected to appeal their sentences within 15 days, according to al-Badawi's brother.
Yemen, the ancestral home of bin Laden, cracked down on militant groups aligned itself with the U.S.-led war on terror following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks carried out by 19 Arab plane hijackers on New York and Washington.
The United States has since provided equipment to Yemen's military to beef up port and border controls and trained Yemeni security forces to battle militants in this country, which has long been known for tolerating Islamic extremists.
"This verdict is an American one and unjust,"
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!
Buh-bye.
They should all be killed.
Yea!!!! Justice....
I will never forget the image of then-President Swifty Clinton, at a USS Cole memorial service, biting that bottom lip, looking forlorned and angry, and promising those responsible would be tracked down and brought to justice. All these years later, and no thanks to Swifty, this scum will finally get their ticket to hell -- good riddance to the ba$tard$.
...and no thanks to Swifty d'ya think he'll try and take credit for it? - "see I told you they would be tracked down.."
I'm sure Old Slick has considered coming out with just such a triumphant statement. The only problem, though, is that The Bent One is recovering from his "emergency" heart surgery at the moment. If he were to surface now, there might be questions as to why he isn't stumping for Gomer and Opie.
Back to the terrorists: I wonder if there'll be a public beheading shown by Al Jazeera? That would be one event that I would relish like either of the Clintons on the trail of some strange pootay.
I have no doubt that sometime in the future, William the Impeached will lay credit for the indictment and trial - after all, lawyers should fight the GWOT, shouldn't they?
My loathing of that man requires medication.
Public Beheading - with a Sears Craftsman Axe!
144 virgins reporting for duty...
This JUSTICE is under BUSH's WATCH... not Clinton's. REMEMBER THAT.
I was hoping the two would be Syria and Iran.
I was thinking a chain saw. But a dull axe will do.
No mention of when the big event would be.
.....All these years later, and no thanks to Swifty, this scum will finally get their ticket to hell.....
How will this be accomplished?
The article said they are in American custody and the sentence was handed down by a Yemeni court.
There must be a transfer of custody and that is subject to the feegrabbing American legal system Thee are certainly antiBush American lawters who will insist that custody not be surrendered until a proper of fee producing appeals have been made.
I wouldn't hold my breath.
My list would be Iran,Saudi Arabia,Pakistan,UAE to name a few-most folks tend to ignore the Pakis & Saudis despite being adequately clear that both nations had a big role in the formation of AQ & a host of other good Slammic organisations.None of these nations are remotely secular in the real seanse.I would prefer political pressure on the Syrians(which seems to be working) & the occassional airstrike-an Iraq style invasion would do unlimited harm to the country's Christian heritage(for the unitiated the Syrian Orthodox church is headquartered at Antioch).The fact of the matter is Iraqi Christians are going through a harrowing time since the influx of Slammic militants-no one seems bothered by it,despite Iraq's Christian heritage-I wouldn't want that to happen to Syria too,unless ofcourse u are a subscriber to the "shoot first-shoot last-Ask Questions later" philosophy which seems so popular on here.
Cut their heads off, with a butter knife, dipped in pigs blood.
I was hoping "Mad Maddie" Albright was one of the two. Her "woman's initiative" was one of the reasons the Cole went to take on fuel in Yemen.
Let the surviving family members pull the trigger!
I semi-agree. All the culprits that are found guilty of conspiring to commit/ or did commit terrorist acts on the USS Cole should be sentenced to life imprisonment or killed. No beheadings, no cruel and unusual punishment. That only is a victory for them b/c then we are on the same sub-civilized level as they are. Remember they do this to intimidate. We have to swallow it up and play by our rules, the just rules. So, no torture, it only perpetuates the vicious cycle. Perhaps, a couple lethal injections are more than warranted.
Ask the woman who's belly burst open and the mush that was once her baby poured out on the sidewalk under the Twin Towers if we should play by the rules!
Ask the man who was hanging in shreds from an awning under the Towers!
Ask those who burned to death before they had a chance to jump to their deaths!
Your brand of "Compassionate" Conservatism makes me sick to my stomach!
Jesus Christ will come back as a Warrior.
Your kind will disagree with His methods, also.
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