Ali Saleh asks Blair to hand over Abu Hamzeh al-Masri
Yemen, Politics, 1/26/1999

Yemen has officially asked the British government to hand over Abu Hamzeh al-Masri, leader of the extremist Ansar al-Sharia ( al-Sharia partisans), which has London as its headquarters, to be tried in Yemen under charges of implementing terrorist acts in Yemen and several Arab states.

This was expressed in an official message Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh sent to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, conveyed by the British ambassador in Sanaa Victor Henderson, whom the Yemeni president received on Monday.

The London-based al-Hayat daily said according to governmental sources in Sanaa that the message from President Saleh stressed that the Yemeni government has evidence and documents which prove that it has the right to demand that the British government hand over al-Masri, who was described by the message as a "terrorist" and "extremist." However, there are legal obstacles which prevent the fulfillment of the Yemeni request because Abu Hamzeh carries British citizenship.

The Yemeni request, moreover, comes in light of investigations conducted by the Yemeni security authorities into a group whose members were arrested in Aden on December 23, 1998, including five British and one French citizen, having with them weapons and explosives and said to be involved in carrying out "terrorist and destructive plans which undermine Yemen's security and stability."

The Yemeni investigations found that al-Masri has relations with this group in addition to his "firm links to" the Islamic Army of Aden," led by Abu Hassan al-Muhdar, who is in custody. Al-Muhdar's group kidnapped 16 western tourists at the end of last month.

The Yemeni governmental sources added that the message of the Yemeni President to the British prime minister expressed Yemen's great regret over the "terrorist activities carried out by Abu Hamzeh al-Masri" and others from the British territories, acts which it said undermine Yemen's security and stability as well as similar terrorist acts in several Arab states.

The message, the sources added, expressed hope in the "cooperation of the British government in supporting the efforts exerted by Yemen to fight terrorism, which threatens security and stability in the world."

Abu Hamzeh called eight days ago for killing Yemeni officials if the Yemeni authorities sentenced to death the kidnappers of a group of western tourists in Yemen.

Previous Stories:
  Sanaa: Negotiations continue on release of Western hostages   (1/22/1999)
  Warning issued against executing Yemeni Islamist kidnapper   (1/15/1999)
  Al-Mihdar at Abyan court: Yes, I am the leader of the kidnappers   (1/14/1999)
  On the terrorist acts in Yemen   (1/13/1999)

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