CAIRO Ñ Yemeni sources said security forces have arrested about 20 people linked
to Islamic insurgency movements in the Arabian Peninsula. The sources said
the detainees have been charged with plotting a series of bombings and
assassinations against Westerners in Yemen.
The London-based Al Hayat daily reported on Monday that the leader of
the Islamic cell was Ahmed Jarallah. Jarallah was captured last month after
he allegedly assassinated a key Yemeni leftist politician during a
conference in Sanaa.
Jarallah was also said to have been linked to an attack on a Yemeni
hospital and the killing of three American health workers, Middle East Newsline reported. A suspect was
caught in the attack.
Yemeni sources said the Islamic insurgency cell planned to kill Yemeni
intellectuals and Westerners in the country. The targets included
journalists, clergy and politicians.
Moreover, the cell also drafted a list of targets for bombings. The sour
ces said the targets included both Yemeni government as well as foreign
diplomatic installations.
Al Hayat reported that Yemeni security agencies seized weapons and
explosive material during the capture of the suspected insurgents. The
newspaper said the suspects also confessed to the alleged plot.
But the sources said authorities have not yet determined that the cell
was part of the Al Qaida network. The sources said the suspects held views
similar to Al Qaida and some of them came from Afghanistan.