SANAA, 26 May 2006 — A Yemeni military court has begun the trial of 12 intelligence personnel accused of negligence that led to the escape of 23 Al-Qaeda operatives from a heavy-guarded prison earlier this year, the attorney general said in remarks published yesterday.
Abdullah Al-Olufi told the Defense Ministry’s weekly newspaper, 26 September, that 12 persons suspected of negligence were on trial. The suspects were taken to a military court and their trial has begun, he said.
Olufi said he had been deputed with the responsibility of questioning officers linked to the escape, including those who were in charge with the intelligence prison from which the terror suspects fled.
He gave no further details about the trial. Military trials in Yemen are often held behind closed doors and media representatives are not allowed in.
