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| Arabia |
| Yemen frees 92 ’repentant’ al-Qaeda followers |
| 2003-11-17 |
| One of the terms specified in al-Qaeda’s communique calling for negotiations with the Yemeni government was a release of its members and an end to pursuing the free ones. Saleh could be trying to meet at least some of those demands. -Dan Yemen’s government today freed 92 followers of the al-Qaeda terrorist network after they promised to behave. A further 1,500 other inmates were also released in a Ramadan amnesty, a Yemeni judge responsible for dialogue with suspected terrorists said. The judge, Hammoud al-Hitar, added that 65 detainees suspected of terror-related crimes, including suspects in the bombing of the USS Cole in October 2000, would be put on trial after the end of this month. Why bother? -Paul Al-Hitar, who heads a committee that encourages terrorists to renounce violence, told The Associated Press that the 92 al-Qaeda suspects arrested since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, had repented and promised to obey Yemen’s constitution and laws. I’ll believe it when I see it. Right now this looks to a cynical observer like myself as at least in part a potential way to meet al-Qaeda’s demands without publicly acknowledging that one is doing so. -Dan They declared they would respect "the rights of non-Muslims, their lives, money, and (promised) not to target embassies of friendly countries," al-Hitar said. The dialogue with the detained terror suspects began at the end of last year. At least 70 repentant militants have been released by Yemen in the last two years. Al-Hitar said his committee has had meetings with 246 terrorists. He told the AP that 65 terror suspects, including those arrested in the Cole bombing that killed 17 Americans, will be referred to trial after the three-day feast following Ramadan, which concludes near the end of this month. Al-Hitar did not specify a date. |
| Posted by:Paul Moloney & Dan Darling |
| #6 Hopefully these 92 mutts will have some real problems falling down stairs and in front of buses. Or stepping in front of bullets in flight. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-11-17 8:13:57 PM |
| #5 Paul and Dan - I combined the two. |
| Posted by: Fred 2003-11-17 2:16:08 PM |
| #4 Hypocrisy! Yemen releases terrorists, but they still want Germany to deliver them a particularly vile one. If your credibility is in the crapper, don't expect to be trusted. This Islamonazis going to Gitmo. http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=686&p=front&a=1 |
| Posted by: Vlad the Muslim Impaler 2003-11-17 5:22:46 AM |
| #3 Repentent? Maybe Charles Manson should try that scam. |
| Posted by: Vlad the Muslim Impaler 2003-11-17 3:27:56 AM |
| #2 Ha! Fred might as well delete mine, yours has more worthwhile comments |
| Posted by: Paul Moloney 2003-11-17 1:59:42 AM |
| #1 Blast you, Paul! I was just posting the same thing :P |
| Posted by: Dan Darling 2003-11-17 1:57:20 AM |