YEMEN: 2005 COUNTRY REPORT ON TERRORISM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 003483

SIPDIS

S/CT RHONDA SHORE, S/CT ED SALAZAR, NCTC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER PREL ASEC KTFN YM COUNTER TERRORISM TERFIN
SUBJECT: YEMEN: 2005 COUNTRY REPORT ON TERRORISM

REF: STATE 193439


1. Below is Embassy Sanaa's submission for the 2005 Country
Report on Terrorism. A copy of this report has been
forwarded to S/CT POCs via e-mail.


2. Begin text.

In 2005, the Republic of Yemen continued to provide support
for the global war on terrorism and took action against
al-Qaida and local extremists, arresting several individuals
suspected of having al-Qaida ties and prosecuting the
perpetrators of several terrorist acts.

On February 26, an appeals court upheld verdicts against six
al-Qaida members for their role in the October 2000 attack on
the USS Cole in Aden that killed 17 US sailors and injured

35. The original September 2004 verdict had been appealed by
both the defense and the prosecution, the latter arguing that
some of the sentences were too light. The appeals court
upheld one death sentence against ringleader Abd al-Rahim
al-Nashiri, who was tried in absentia. The court commuted
another death sentence for Jamal al-Badawi to 15 years. The
prosecution failed to secure harsher sentences for the other
convicted al-Qaida members, whose original sentences ranged
from five - ten years. On August 22, the Supreme Court
upheld all six sentences.

On February 6, the Sanaa Appellate Court upheld the
convictions against 15 al-Qaida members for the October 2002
attack on the French tanker M/V Limburg, the murder of a
Ministry of Interior officer during the November 2002 attack
on an oil company helicopter, a plot to attack the Civil
Aviation and Meteorology Authority, a plot to attack four
foreign embassies in Sanaa and to kill the US Embassy, and
for forging documents for the purpose of carrying out
terrorism. The appeals court re-sentenced one defendant to
death (from a ten year sentence),awarded harsher sentences
for two defendants, and upheld the remaining sentences. The
case is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court.

On April 23, the Yemeni Supreme Court upheld the 2003 death
sentences of Ali Ahmed Mohamed Jarallah and Abed Abdulrazak
al-Kamel for the December 30, 2002 shootings of three
American citizens in Jibla. Jarallah was executed in
November. No date has been set for al-Kamel,s execution.

Yemeni security forces continued to arrest and try suspected
members of al-Qaida and other terrorists groups. In August,
the Sanaa Primary Court convicted six al-Qaida members for
planning attacks against the British and Italian Embassies
and the French Cultural Center. The ringleader, Anwar
al-Jilani, received a four year sentence, with the remaining
five receiving sentences from two years to 40 months.

In June, the Sanaa Appellate Court found 11 suspected
al-Qaida suspects not guilty of planning attacks on
undisclosed targets in Yemen and abroad. The prosecution had
alleged the defendants trained in Afghanistan and were
planning to travel to Iraq to fight against US-led coalition
forces.

In August, the Sanaa Primary Court began trying 34 supporters
of the slain rebel Shia cleric Hussein Al-Houthi for planning
terrorist attacks against Yemeni military sites and the US
Ambassador. In December, the Sanaa court also began trying
two individuals, Hizam al-Mass and Khalid al-Halilah, for a
2004 plot to assassinate the US Ambassador.

Yemen has expressed a willingness to fight international
terrorists and deny its territory as a safe haven for
terrorist activity. Yemen continues to increase its maritime
security capabilities with the support of the US Government
through extensive training and donated equipment to the
Yemeni Coast Guard. Coast Guard operations are expanding to
stem the use of Yemen as a way station for smuggling of
persons, drugs, weapons, and explosives. US Government
support for the Central Security Forces - Counter Terrorism
Unit, Yemen's premier counter terrorism force, also
strengthened Yemen,s ability to deny terrorists safe haven.

Land border security along Yemen,s extensive frontier with
Saudi Arabia remains a major concern, despite increased
Yemeni-Saudi cooperation on bilateral security issues.

The Government's capacity for stemming terrorism financing
remains limited. In 2004, the UN 1267 Sanctions Committee
designated prominent Yemeni Sheikh Abd al-Majid al-Zindani
for his association with al-Qaida. The Yemeni government has
taken no action to bar his travel or to freeze his assets in
compliance with its UN obligations. In December, al-Zindani
accompanied President Saleh to an Organization of the Islamic
Conference meeting in Saudi Arabia.

Yemen utilized its Islamic Dialogue Committee, headed by a
leading judge, to continue its dialogue with detainees
arrested for connections to terrorist groups and extremist
elements. The government releases detainees it considers to
be rehabilitated, after they pledge to uphold the Yemeni
constitution and laws, the rights of non-Muslims, and the
inviolability of foreign interests. No comprehensive program
exists to monitor recidivism rates. An undisclosed number of
released detainees from previous years have reportedly
traveled to Iraq to participate in attacks against Coalition
forces.

Several terrorist organizations continued to maintain a
presence in Yemen throughout 2005. HAMAS and Palestinian
Islamic Jihad (PIJ) are recognized as legal organizations,
and HAMAS maintains offices in Yemen. Neither organization
has engaged in any known terrorist activities in Yemen, and
PIJ does not have any known operational presence. HAMAS
conducts extensive fundraising through mosques and other
charitable organizations throughout the country. In December,
HAMAS leader Khaled Mishal visited Sanaa and met publicly
with President Saleh. While al-Qaida,s operational structure
in Yemen has been weakened and dispersed, concerns remain
about the organization's attempts to reconstitute operational
cells in Yemen.
Krajeski