Yemen officials: Cole attack planned in 1997

NICOSIA — The attack on the USS Cole in Aden in October was planned in 1997 and involves more suspects than those already in custody, officials said.

Yemeni officials said the investigation of the suspects have revealed that Islamic fundamentalists were responsible for both the attack on the U.S. destroyer and on the British embassy in Sanaa. They said one detainee is believed to have participated in both attacks in October.

"We know the crime had been planned in Yemen since 1997," Yemeni Interior Minister Hussein Arab said. "But this does not mean that it does not have links, especially in terms of training."

Yemeni officials have identified the detainees as being members of the Islamic Jihad, which fought Soviet troops in Afghanistan in the 1980s.

Arab told the Dubai-based Al Bayan daily that the preparations for the attacks were conducted in Yemen. He said six people are in custody -- three of whom were directly involved in the Oct. 12 bombing of the USS Cole.

"Although the files of the suspects have been completed, the joint investigation with the American side continues because the six are part of the case and we are still looking to establish the full background," the interior minister said.

The bombing has been linked to Saudi billionaire fugitive Osama Bin Laden. Officials said Yemeni authorities are cooperation with Jordan, which is prosecuting a Bin Laden aide in connection with a plot to attack Israelis and Americans in the kingdom.