Bombing suspects handed over

2003-09-17 20:25

Riyadh - Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday that Yemen had extradited to the kingdom a suspect in the recent suicide bombings in Riyadh that left 35 people dead.

"The interior ministry received from Yemeni security authorities eight Saudi suspects wanted on various security and criminal charges, including Bandar bin Abdurrahman al-Ghamdi, in addition to his wife and daughter," said an interior ministry official cited by the SPA news agency.

Yemen also handed over the bodies of two fugitives "as part of the security co-ordination and co-operation between security authorities in the two brotherly countries," the official said without giving further details.

Yemen said on September 9 it had arrested Ghamdi, one of a 19-strong cell of suspects in the May 12 bombings of three residential compounds in Riyadh, and would hand him over to the kingdom after interrogating him.

The alleged mastermind of the bombings, Turkey al-Dandani, was killed by Saudi security forces in July, while a number of others have been either killed or captured.

Saudi authorities have rounded up scores more terror suspects since the Riyadh attacks.

Saudi Arabia and Yemen have recently been swapping fugitives under an extradition agreement between the two neighbours.

- SAPA