Saturday, August 25, 2012

Seven al-Qaida suspects captured in Yemen's Aden

ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Seven suspected members of the Yemen-based al-Qaida offshoot were captured by security authorities in the port city of Aden on Friday, a Yemeni government official told Xinhua.

Security soldiers apprehended seven al-Qaida terror suspects in the Cerater neighborhood in Aden after they infiltrated from neighboring southern Abyan province, the local government official said on condition of anonymity.

"The captured terrorists were armed. They numbered seven and they were hiding in a house that included a lab to prepare explosives and other bombs," the official said.

"We are sure that they belong to the al-Qaida terrorist group... They were trying to recruit young men in order to carry out terrorist attacks in the strategic port city of Aden," he added.

The arrested al-Qaida suspects have been taken to the Mansoura central jail in Aden for further investigation, according to the official.

On Thursday, Yemeni authorities stepped up security measures in the strategic port city of Aden, following intelligence reports that al-Qaida could attempt to target government compounds with armed attacks and suicide bombings.

Backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia, the Yemeni government waged a month-long intensive offensive in May against hundreds of al-Qaida militants, driving them out of strongholds they had controlled for nearly a year in the country's south.

The Yemeni branch of al-Qaida, known locally as Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), claimed responsibility for several gun raids and deadly suicide attacks that took place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.


from XINHUA
2012-08-24 21:55:03

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