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Two sentenced to death for Cole bombing
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-09-29 23:53
A Yemeni judge sentenced two men to death and four others to prison terms
ranging from five to 10 years Wednesday for orchestrating the 2000 suicide
bombing of the USS Cole, an attack blamed on Osama bin Laden's terror network.
Saudi-born Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who is in U.S. custody at an undisclosed
location, and Jamal al-Badawi, a 35-year-old Yemeni, were both sentenced to
death for plotting, preparing and involvement in the bombing, which killed 17
U.S. sailors as their destroyer refueled in the southern Yemeni port of Aden.
A small boat guards
the USS Cole in Aden, Yemen in this Oct. 20, 2000, file photo. Saudi-born
Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who is in U.S. custody at an undisclosed
location, and Jamal al-Badawi, a 35-year-old Yemeni, were both sentenced
to death for plotting and involvement in the bombing, which killed 17
American sailors as their destroyer refueled in the southern Yemeni port
of Aden. [AP] |
Al-Nashiri, believed to be the
mastermind of the Oct. 12, 2000 bombing, was the only one of the six defendants
not in the heavily guarded court to hear the sentences. The other five
defendants are all Yemenis.
"This verdict is an American one and unjust," al-Badawi yelled from behind
the bars of a courtroom cell after judge Najib al-Qaderi sentenced him to death.
"There are no human rights in the world, except for the Americans. All the
Muslims in the world are being used to serve American interests."
The United States announced al-Nashiri's arrest in 2002. He was detained in
the United Arab Emirates and transferred to American custody. U.S. officials
believe he is a close associate of Saudi-born bin Laden, who is believed to have
masterminded the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
In addition to the Cole attack, al-Nashiri is suspected of helping direct the
1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
The six men were all charged with belonging to al-Qaida and playing various
roles in the attack on the Cole, which was carried out by suicide bombers
Ibrahim al-Thawr and Abdullah al-Misawa, both Yemenis, who rammed an
explosives-laden boat into the destroyer.
"The evidence obtained by the court affirms the collaboration of the
defendants in the case ... which harmed the country, its reputation and
threatened its social stability and security," judge al-Qaderi told the court
before issuing his sentences.
Al-Qaderi sentenced Fahd al-Qasa to 10 years in jail for filming the bombing,
which left a gaping hole in the side of the destroyer, which was later repaired
and returned to service.
The court has heard that al-Qasa had traveled to Afghanistan in 1997 to train
at an al-Qaida terrorist camp, but it was unclear how long he spent there before
returning to Yemen, a tribal-dominated country located at the southern tip of
the Arabian Peninsula.
Maamoun Msouh received an eight-year prison term for delivering money used in
preparing and executing the attack and playing a close role in assisting
al-Badawi.
Ali Mohamed Saleh and Murad al-Sirouri were both sentenced to five years in
prison for forging identification documents for al-Misawa, one of the suicide
bombers.
All the men sentenced on Wednesday are expected to appeal their sentences
within 15 days, according to al-Badawi's brother.
Yemen, the ancestral home of bin Laden, cracked down on militant groups
aligned itself with the U.S.-led war on terror following the Sept. 11, 2001
attacks carried out by 19 Arab plane hijackers on New York and Washington.
The United States has since provided equipment to Yemen's military to beef up
port and border controls and trained Yemeni security forces to battle militants
in this country, which has long been known for tolerating Islamic extremists.
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