Yemen: Questioning killers of American doctor; government accuses opposition of collaborating with al-Qaida

The Yemeni government has warned certain political parties and forces and social figures of their continued provided support for the "wanted terrorist elements" over committing destruction and terrorist acts targeted against national interests and citizens of foreign states.

The Yemeni government asked all parties and political organizations to declare a clear position denouncing terrorism and show support for its efforts to chase terrorist elements. The government stressed in a report it submitted to the parliament on the security conditions in the country that information proved the involvement of parties in supporting terrorist gangs against Yemen, and in sheltering those who committed these operations, considering that fighting terrorism is but a national duty that it will not give up on as part of its responsibility.

The yemeni government has called on the parliament to support its efforts and stressed having Yemen targeted by the destructive terrorist attacks is a conspiracy with foreign sides behind it, including al-Qaida organization and certain opposition political sides living outside Yemen, as well as certain internal elements including party figures.

The report indicated that elements which commit these operations are provoked to carry out these acts by accusing the government of arresting scientists and sponsoring curroption in society, and that it has become the prisoner of the will of the American administration through fighting with it in the campaign to fighting terrorism.

He added that the security departments have information about the involvement of party figures and political figures in provoking these elements and in giving aid to them in hiding and escaping the security forces and in releasing Fatwas that permit committing such crimes.

The report detailed terrorist operations which were carried out in Yemen since 1997 until December 2002, noting these operations have inflicted great damage in the national economy and hit its various sectors, adding that the attack on the oil ship Limburg on October 6 resulted on heavy losses estimated at USD 31 million in the sectors of tourism and the environment, while terrorist operations resulted in the reduction of expatriates money transfers by 50% after countries where those expatriates live laid tough measures on the transfer measures of fears that these assets are sent to terrorist groups.

The report also outlined several problems in Yemen because of the repeated terrorist operations against public utilities and interests and foreigners.

Meantime, Sanaa continued investigation in the assassination of three American doctors at the hands of an active member in an extremist cell split from al- Islah ( reform) party.

The investigators seek to know about possible links between the attacker of the hospital and extremist groups and if he had worked on his own or with partners, according to sources at the Yemeni police.

Yemeni investigators said yesterday that Abed Abdul Razzaq Kasmel, from Zammar area, 90 Km to the south of Sanaa, rented two weeks before a house in Jableh. Kamel who accuse the American doctors of missionary activities for Christianity, had admitted that he is a member in a cell of five Islamists activists assigned to carry out five operations.

According to investigators, Abed said that one of these operations was the assassination of Jarullah Omar, the second ranking official at the Yemeni Socialist party. He stressed that he prepared the assassination of the three doctors with the killer of Jarullar Omar. According to investigators, the two killers were members of the al-Islah party and they had left it because the party no longer supported emptying Yemen from Christians and secular elements, in remarks to members of the Yemeni Socialist party many of whom were assassinated in Yemen in the 1990s.