Yemen frees 92 repentant al-Qaida suspects and hundreds of others for Ramadan

The Associated Press via MSNBC ^

[PeteFromMontana]

SAN'A, Yemen, Nov. 16 ? Yemen's government on Sunday freed 92 followers of the al-Qaida terrorist network who have repented, a Yemeni judge responsible for dialogue with suspected terrorists said.

They were freed along with 1,500 other inmates as part of an amnesty during the Ramadan holy month, said the judge, Hammoud al-Hitar.

He added that 65 detainees suspected of terror-related crimes, including suspects in the bombing of the USS Cole in October 2000, would be put on trial after Ramadan. Al-Hitar heads a committee that encourages terrorists to renounce violence. He told The Associated Press that the 92 al-Qaida suspects, all of them arrested since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, had repented and promised to obey Yemen's constitution and laws. They declared they would respect ''the rights of non-Muslims, their lives, money, and (promised) not to target embassies of friendly countries,'' al-Hitar said. The dialogue with the detained terror suspects began at the end of last year. At least 70 repentant militants have been released by Yemen in the last two years. The al-Qaida suspects and 1,500 criminal prisoners were freed under a decree by President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Such decrees are common in Muslim countries during Ramadan, the holy month in which Muslims fast during daylight hours and are also expected to exhibit charity. Al-Hitar said his committee has had meetings with 246 terrorists. He told the AP that 65 terror suspects, including those arrested in the Cole bombing that killed 17 Americans, will be referred to trial after the three-day feast following Ramadan, which concludes near the end of this month. Al-Hitar did not specify a date. Yemeni officials said earlier that American investigators wanted the trial of the Cole suspects delayed to complete a U.S. probe of the attack. The Cole was severely damaged when an explosive-laden barge exploded next to the ship in the Yemeni port of Aden

[PeteFromMontana]

Repented? That's it? Can someone make any sense out of this?

[Yaelle]

Oh. Well. As long as they said they were SORRY...

[Calpernia]

ping

[Imperialist]

These guys will show up in Iraq soon, I guess, and meet death.

[SevenDaysInMay]

Islam's holy scriptures teach that lying is good in muslims war against infedels.

[Angelus Errare]

Yemen has been involved in under-the-table negotiations with al-Qaeda since at least mid-September to cease attacks in the country. I suspect that this mass release is probably one of the conditions involved, although my suspicion is that al-Qaeda wants its own independent zone of control in Yemen along the lines of what FARC has in Colombia. Whether or not they have to fight in order to obtain it is another matter entirely.

[Cindy]

PeteFromMontana wrote:
Repented? That's it? Can someone make any sense out of this?


OPINION: Let me guess Pete (sarcastic thinking cap on)...Not enough Americans were killed and injured, so they repented and they are very, very, very sorry. (/sarcastic thinking cap off)

[AmericanVictory]

Before we're through a lot of these governments will have to change their ways. We could do it most efficiently by taking away our need for their oil, but don't look for leadership in the Federal government to do it. This is equivalent to the way that Willy Brandt and the German government staged a hijacking after the 73 Olympics massacre in order to create an "exchange" so they could let the killers go and the Israelis had to take them out on their own. Good old Krauts, so morally superior to us. Surely they can identify with this Yemeni "justice." But until our leaders are willing to do something other than pursue the ethanol boondoggle or open the ANWR for production in ten years, we're not really going to stop these stabs in the back. We're going to have to compel them to do something about it.

[Coop]

Gotta love when the government negotiates with terrorists. Yes, Yemen, Al Qaeda will abide by the terms of "X" agreement... for a while. Until Al Qaeda wants something else. Then they'll have 92 more jihadists to help with future "negotiations."

[JustPiper]

Unbelievable!

[Calpernia]

Piper, I'm surprised at you. They said they were sorry. ^-^

[Donna Lee Nardo]

JustPiper: I guess the Yemenis are stupid bleeding heart liberals, too. Yuck.

[Pro-Bush]

Well, it is Ramadan. >>extreme sarcasm

[JustPiper]

Piper, I'm surprised at you. They said they were sorry.

LOL! Bad JP,(slapping self) thanx for that Cal ;)