9 appear for killing of 86 Yemen troops
2013-01-14 16:36
Sanaa - Yemen on Monday put on trial nine al-Qaeda
suspects accused of involvement in a suicide attack in Sanaa that killed 86
soldiers last May.
The hearing, at a Sanaa court specialising in terrorism
cases, was being held under tight security, an AFP correspondent reported.
The defendants, identified as members of a group known as
the "Saawan cell", are accused of having "planned to assassinate
security leaderships and targeting civilian and military establishments using
explosive belts and silent guns," according to the chargesheet read out in
the court.
They are also accused of participating in the 21 May 2012
attack that killed 86 soldiers and wounded 173, the chargesheet added.
Al-Qaeda had claimed responsibility for the blast, which
it said was aimed at Defence Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmed and his aides.
The minister escaped unharmed.
Charges denied
The attack saw a man dressed as a soldier detonate
explosives under his uniform in the middle of a battalion.
The massive blast echoed loudly across Sanaa, causing
panic among residents.
It was the biggest assault on Yemeni troops since
President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi came to power in February last year, following a
year long uprising that ousted his predecessor Ali Abdullah Saleh.
After the charges were read, one of the defendants,
24-year-old Hisham Sharaabi, shouted: "This case is political and involves
high-ranking officials."
The defendants denied the charges and claimed they had
confessed under pressure.
Prosecutors have demanded capital punishment for the
nine, who are also charged with "joining al-Qaeda and taking jihadist and
incitement lessons from Ansar al-Sharia [Islamic law] in Abyan," said the
judge, referring to jihadists who fought the army for over a year across south
Yemen.
The next hearing will take place on 21 January.
