March 6, 2006, - 10:41 am
More Yemeni Soft on Terror
By
Bad enough that the Yemen, Al-Qaeda’s key haven, allowed several Qaeda terrorists (including a and others involved in the U.S.S. Cole bombing) to .
Now, Yemen has sentenced two teens to only five years in prison after being convicted of plotting to kill the U.S. Ambassador to Yemen.
The two men were sentenced to a “special prison” because of their ages. But, it’s not like they are 12 years old. Hezam Ali Hassan is 17 and Khaled Saleh is 18. In the U.S., they’d be tried as adults, even in 2003, when the crime occurred. But not in Yemen, where a wink and a nod are the usual response to terrorists, or–at most–a slap on the wrist.
Reports AP:
According to an indictment, the two followed the car of then-U.S. Ambassador Edmund Hull in the capital, San`a. Hassan _ carrying a pistol and two hand grenades he intended to throw _ then climbed the outside wall of a store that Hull had entered. Saleh waited outside with a machine gun.
The President should recall our Ambassador, just as he should have when one of the . But he won’t. Because a lot of our “war” on terror is little more than a PR con job.
Tags: al-Qaeda, Ali Hassan, ambassador, America, Edmund Hull, Germany, Khaled Saleh, Lackawanna Six, President, Robert Stethem, San`a, U.S. Ambassador, United States, Yemen
Hi Deb, I commend you for keeping up on Yemen. Its a very important country and nearly invisable to many. Keep in mind also the growing influence of the Salafists in this conservative country that has very moderate Islamic traditons. Yemen is primarily Shaife Sunni with some Zaidi Shiites, neither of which is akin to Wahabbism. I hope this link doesnt mess you up but it doesnt seem to be hyperlinking for me:
http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=926&p=local&a=2
Also from the Yemen Times: An extremist Salafi group in Laudar, Abyan province, attacked many province locals after security authorities released them late. The group was accused of having links with Al-Qaeda Network and the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army. Over the past three days, group members launched three offensives against citizens, beating them. The group claims to fight vice, implement provisions of the Qur’an and control any deviant habits like drinking wine.
Jane on March 7, 2006 at 3:57 pm