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A Man examines the damaged door at the home of Mohsen Abdul-Hamid , an influential Sunni statesman May 30, 2005. U.S. troops arrested the leader of one of Iraq's main Sunni Arab political parties at his house in Baghdad on Monday, party officials said. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani

Chief of the Sunni Endowments Adnan al-Dulaimi at a press conference held after the Iraqi Islamic Party said U.S. troops had detained Mohsen Abdul Hamid, the head of the party, along with his three sons and four guards, during a dawn house raid Monday, May 30, 2005 in western Baghdad, according to a top party official and police. (AP Photo/Mohammed Uraibi)

The grandson of Mohsen Abdel Hamid clears the debris after his home was damaged by soldiers who came to arrest the Sunni political leader in the Al-Khadra district of Baghdad. US troops arrested Hamid -- the leader of Iraq's main Sunni party -- sparking protests from the group that is key to peace in the country.(AFP/Ahmad Al-Rubaye)

The wife of Mohsen Abdul Hamid, who did not give her name, stands in the bedroom of their house in Baghdad's western Khadra district in Iraq Monday, May 30, 2005. U.S. troops detained Mohsen Abdul Hamid, the head of Iraq's largest Sunni Muslim political party - the Iraqi Islamic Party, along with his three sons and four guards, during a dawn house raid according to a top party official and police. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

An Iraqi soldier gives water to a group of men arrested during a raid outside Baquba. A double suicide attack killed at least 25 people south of Baghdad as insurgents struck back against a massive operation by Iraq to try to restore security in the capital.(AFP/Ali Yussef)

Al Qaeda suspect in Yemen claims was tortured

(AFP)

30 May 2005

SANAA - The suspected ringleader of an Al Qaeda cell on trial in Yemen for allegedly plotting attacks on Western targets in Gulf states on Monday retracted past confessions which he said were obtained by torture.

His claims came as the trial reconvened of the eight suspected Al Qaeda militants, accused of being members of an organisation named Katab al-Tawhid and also charged with seeking to assassinate senior Yemeni officials.

“I was forced under pressure and torture by political security (intelligence) to confess statements that were presented in previous hearings,” 22-year-old Iraqi defendant Anwar al-Jilani told the court.

But his request to be interrogated again was rejected by the court.

State prosecutors presented evidence against the defendants that included explosives, as well as grenades, an automatic rifle, a personal computer and a camera.

But Jilani, and the other suspects, including two Syrians, rejected the evidence.

“I have nothing to do with all documents extracted from my personal computer as evidence,” Jilani said.

The representative of the state prosecution had claimed in the previous hearing that the allegations were based on documents found in the personal computer of Jilani.

The other suspects are Mohammad Abdelwahhab Bakri, a 24-year-old Syrian, and his brother Ahmad, 22, as well as five Yemenis: Khaled al-Batati, 23, Salah Othman, 33, Omran al-Faqih, 31, Abderrahman Basira, 25, and Majed Mizan, 21.

The trial, which opened March 28, was adjourned until June 6.