YEMEN: Yemen jails 32 militants for al-Qaeda oil attacks

A Yemeni court passed jail terms of 2-15 years against 32 militants convicted of varied roles in al-Qaeda's attack on oil and gas facilities last year. Some relatives of convicts described the ruling as unfair while others expressed gratitude after the sentences were read. A Yemeni court passed jail terms of 2-15 years on Wednesday (November 7) against 32 militants convicted of varied roles in al-Qaeda's attack on oil and gas facilities last year. The prosecution said it would appeal against the ruling and seek harsher penalties. The court, which tries state security cases, also acquitted four of the 36 suspects who were charged in March of "forming an armed gang aimed at carrying out sabotage attacks" and involvement in the attacks on the installations in the Marib and Hadramout provinces. Six of the militants were charged in absentia, including three al-Qaeda members who had fled from a Sanaa prison in February 2006. Some of the convicts described the ruling as "unfair" while others prostrated -- a sign of gratitude to God -- after the sentences were read. "My reaction to the sentences is great joy," said Majelli Mohammed Saleh, the brother of one of the sentenced men. "We have been sure this would be the result from the first moment they captured my brother," he added. Abdullah Sharif, the relative of another of the sentenced men, said the rulings were too harsh. "We hope the sentence passed against my cousin will be reviewed because it causes us great distress and monetary losses," he added. Yemen foiled the two suicide attacks on Sept. 15, days after al-Qaeda urged Muslims to target Western interests, especially oil installations. Al-Qaeda's wing in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attacks in November 2006 and vowed more strikes in the Arab state. Four bombers were killed when security forces blew up four rigged cars before they reached their targets. A guard working for an oil firm was killed. There was no damage to the state-owned facilities. In a March hearing, the suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges, and six of them said in a hearing in March that they were tortured in custody and forced to sign confessions. Yemen, a minor oil producer, is the ancestral home of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. It joined the U.S.-led war on terrorism launched after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States in 2001 and has been battling Islamic militants for years. The September 2006 attacks were the first on oil facilities in Yemen since the 2002 bombing of the French oil supertanker Limburg off its coast. In 2000, a suicide attack on the U.S. warship Cole killed 17 U.S. sailors. Yemen, on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, has been widely seen in the West as a haven for Muslim militants, including al Qaeda supporters.

ITN Source | November 7, 2007

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