Yemen has brought in 22 suspected al-Qaeda members accused of plotting attacks on Western targets in Yemen for questioning by a special anti-terrorist tribunal. "These elements form a dangerous terrorist cell. They were recruited by Fawaz al-Rabihi," a fugitive killed by security forces in October, a security source said on Sunday.
The security source said the suspects were linked to an aborted twin attack on September 15 on an oil refinery in the Marib and oil reservoirs in the southeast of Yemen. They also stand accused of planning attacks against "foreign and local installations and foreign residents in Yemen."
Not to be outdone, the official Saudi news agency reported today that authorities have arrested 136 suspected militants over the past three months, accusing some of plotting to carry out suicide attacks inside the kingdom. An interior ministry official said the suspects had been captured by security forces as part of an operation aimed at arresting militants of different nationalities in several Saudi cities.
Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Mansour al-Turki said 115 of those arrested were Saudis. He would not confirm whether those arrested had links to al-Qaeda, but said they allegedly "believed in al-Qaeda ideology and had the same style of carrying out attacks."
Some of those arrested also were allegedly plotting to rob banks and carry out kidnapping operations. Weapons and different currencies also were seized, as well as communication devices and computers.
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