SANAA, 6 December 2003 — The initial interrogation of a top figure in the Yemen branch of the Al-Qaeda network, Mohamed Hamdi Al-Ahdal, alias Abu Issam Al-Maki, has revealed information about financial dealings between him and important figures in Arab countries.
“Ahdal provided important information to Yemeni investigators which implicates important personalities in Arab states regarding financial dealings with Ahdal,” a source close to the investigation said. The ongoing investigation is likely to reveal additional important information about terrorist operations in Yemen in recent years.
, he added.
and the identity of those involved. The information will reveal the identities of external figures involved, which Yemeni authorities are not disclosing at the moment for security reasons.
Yemeni authorities believe Ahdal is the second-in-command to Ali Qaed Sunian Al-Harithi, alias Abu Ali Al-Harithi, who was among the six Al-Qaeda suspects killed in November 2002 in a missile attack by the US Central Intelligence Agency in the desert region of Al-Naqaa in Marib province, east of Sanaa.
