Terrorist attacks mostly organized by al-Qaeda, Yemeni official

SANA'A, July 02 (Saba)- Interior Minister Mutahr al-Masri has said that terrorist
attacks carried out in Yemen during the last period were mostly organized by
al-Qaeda.

"The security services pursue the criminals for investigating with them and then
bring them to justice to get legal punishments", said al-Masri.

Answering some questions of parliamentarians during a session of the Parliament held
in Sana'a last Wednesday, the Yemeni official said that he would provide all
information on anti-government riots, sit-ins and protests which took place in some
cities of Yemen to a committee of the parliament in order to take into its reports.

"Some of the riots which happened in the southern provinces of the country have
included 300 non-security checkpoints and 500 non-licensed protests", said the
Minister, pointing out that those events had caused the killing of a number of
soldiers and citizens and injuring others.

Yemen has witnessed a number of terrorist attacks claimed by the al-Qaeda in recent
years against foreign missions, tourist sites and oil installations.

The Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda has carried out a number of terrorist attacks over the
past year, culminating in the assault on the American Embassy in Sana on 16
September.

Yemen began cooperating with the United States on counterterrorism activities in
late 2001.

SA/YA