The government of Yemen again requested the British government to extradite Mustafa of Ansar Al-Shariah Group based in London. Yemen accuses him of inciting terrorist attacks in the country. Official sources confirmed this request to Britain, asking for the trial of Abu Al-Hamzah before a Yemeni court for involvement in terrorist acts in Yemen during the last few years. The sources said Yemen now has enough evidence to prove his connection to these acts, such as the kidnapping incident of 16 tourists in Abyan in which three Brits and an Australian were killed. Abu Al-Hassan Al-Mihdar, leader of the Aden-Abyan military Army was detained and sentenced to death in October 1999 for carrying out the operation. Yemen also says that Abu Al-Hassan has links to the terrorist group that was planning to bomb several important institutions in Aden. The police discovered the plot and arrested these terrorists, bringing them to justice. They are now in prisons in Aden following their trial. One of these terrorists was Abu Al-Hamzah's son. The Minister of Interior Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, said that London has refused to extradite him despite the fact that the British are convinced of the evidence.
The British Ambassador to Yemen, Ms. Frances Guy, in an interview that the Yemen Times published in the beginning of this month, said the Yemeni government requested the extradition of Abu Al-Hamza'a some months ago. "The answer is that he is a British citizen, and we have no extradition treaty with Yemen," she observed. She said they encouraged the Yemeni authorities to give them as much information as possible about Abu Al-Hamza'a so that they can deal with him in Britain in light of the new anti-terrorism legislation issued last February. "We have some information, but unfortunately, not enough to arrest him," she noted, adding, "We have attempted to find a case against him that will stand up in an English court, but we have been unable to do so."
When the request of Yemen was first refused, Yemen suggested that Abu Al-Hamza'a be tried in Britain, but with no response. They previously offered London extradition of their prisoners in Aden, who would spend their the rest of their sentence in British prisons in return for the extradition of Abu-Al-Aamza'a to the Yemeni authorities. But to no avail!
This is why the Yemeni government has not responded to the appeal message relating to the release of the British prisoners in Aden. The appeal letter was officially sent to the Yemeni government last year, yet, the British ambassador confirmed, "There has been no official response to it."
The Yemeni-British relationship has been greatly affected by the Abyan terrorist incident. However, since last year there have been intensive efforts on both sides to bridge the gap and start on a new foot.

The Minister of Interior, Dr. Rashad al-Alimi denied arrest of over 500 people for having links with the al-Qaidah organization and its leader, Usama Bin laden. He said only 21 people who have been to Afghanistan were arrested. They are being interrogated for security purposes. He also denied the news that the Yemeni police arrested 21 Egyptians for the same reason. He said Yemen has taken stiff measures on those coming into and going out of Yemen, adding that a team of different departments has been formed to look into the issuance of visas. Visas can not be issued to any person without the agreement of this team. He also pointed out in an interview with the 26th September newspaper that his ministry has temporarily stopped issuing visas to Arab and foreign students studying in Yemeni universities. The Minister disclosed that a number of people coming from other countries have been detained and that information about them is being exchanged with their respective countries. He said there are no indications of the involvement of Yemenis in the terrorist attack against the USA last September, adding that cooperation between Yemen and the USA has been boosted to include several security fields. 
The Minister said the Aden-Abyan Military Army was no longer existing, pointing out that it was there during a particular time with a terrorist purpose against Yemen, but it was stormed out during the Abyan fiasco that killed four foreign tourists. Some of its militants have been detained and produced before justice. Some of them are still serving their sentence in prison in Aden. Their leader, Abu al-Hassan al-Mihdar, was sentenced to death in October 1999.
Dr. al-Alimi said a special department for combating terrorism and kidnapping was recently initiated the ministry, and it was provided with a computerized network for collecting data about such perpetrators. The network is being linked with airports, port and passport authorities.
The Minister didn't comment on the arrest of bin Laden's father-in-law, Ahmad Abdulfattah Assadah, who was reportedly arrested in Ibb. Reports say he married his daughter to bin Laden over one year ago. He have already been detained, but reports say he denied marrying his daughter to bin Laden. He said his daughter is married to a person who is studying in Pakistan.
In response to the American strikes against Taliban, scores of students at Hajjah College of Education staged a demonstration last Thursday to protest the US and British attacks against Afghanistan. However, the police intervened and stopped the protesters, detaining four of them. The detainees belong to the Nasserite Unionist Party, including the secretary of the party in Hajjah.
During Friday prayers, preachers' sermons condemned the US strikes against Afghanistan and called for resisting collaborating with the USA and its allies. They considered the strikes as a Crusade against Muslims everywhere. They recalled the sufferings of the Palestinian people who are being slaughtered by the Israeli military forces on a daily basis. However, no demonstrations were staged in any of the Yemeni cities. Nonetheless, stiff security measures have been taken around the US and UK embassies in Sana'a. Western citizens have been advised to take stiff security measures and to be on high alert. Moreover, it has been reported that some of these people have left Yemen for their respective countries.
Around 172 religious scholars issued a religious fatwa discouraging any cooperation with the USA and its alliance in their war against Afghanistan. They called all Muslims to stand by the Afghan people in their plight. The scholars said in a press release that facilitating the war of the USA against Afghanistan is a big conspiracy, and asked Muslims to support Afghans morally, financially and through prayers. Yemeni scholars demanded that Arab and Muslim leaders do not follow the USA blindly in its war and that terrorism should be spelt out clearly, with consideration to the Israeli atrocities in the Palestinian territories which have been supported by the USA. They also pointed out that the word "Crusade", uttered by the American President, George Bush, was not a slip of a tongue, as the USA is mobilizing its troops toward Muslim countries. They urged Muslim countries not to accept a coalition with the USA that allows no alternative but to be with the USA or with terrorism. They said such a coalition means a surrender to the USA , as a real coalition between countries brings about satisfaction to both sides which share the same free will. However, this coalition makes countries lose their independence and exposes people to foreign colonization, they say.
However, this statement couldn't provoke any feelings of hostility against the USA. Even the official media neglected it completely and not much attention has been paid to it. This is because the Yemeni authority seems not to object the military strikes that the USA is carrying out against Afghanistan.
To this end, President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Vice President met last Wednesday with religious scholars, leaders of political parties, parliamentarians and social dignitaries. The meeting concerned the current situation in the world in light of the attacks against the USA. The participants stressed that civilians in Afghanistan should not be hit, increasing their ever-lasting pain. They emphasized on the necessity of differentiating between terrorism and nations' struggle for freedom, independence and resisting of occupiers. Terrorism should not be also associated with any religion or nation. They also said the fight against terrorism should have limited targets and not be left open.
President Saleh reconfirmed Yemen's condemnation of terrorism, pointing out that Yemen is a victim of this infamy. The President said we need patience and wisdom in order to cure this epidemic, giving no chance for perpetrators of terrorism to incite conflicts and hostility between religions, cultures or human civilizations. He said all people share in undertaking this responsibility. He further stressed that having a fair and just solution to the Palestinian issue, enabling the Palestinians to establish their state with al-Quds as their capital, will further peace and stability in the region and the world at large. The president told the participants that it was very necessary that all people join hands and unite, serving the higher interests of Yemen.
The official media, on their part, continued to stress the clear-cut stands of Yemen towards terrorism and the need to fight it worldwide through the UN.
Report: Mohammed H. al-Qadhi
Yemen Times

Yemeni politicians, intellectuals and men in the street condemned American bombing of Afghan Muslims. "We are against terrorism, and against killing innocent people without a clear-cut definition of terrorism," they say.
Mohammed Qahtan, Head of the Islah Political Department said the Islah condemned attacks on Afghan people as they had condemned those against Washington and New York. "Reactions to terrorist actions should adhere to the law, not to the instinct of revenge," he added.
Describing lasting freedom as a big American hoax, Secretary General of the al-Ba'ath Party, Dr. Qasem Sallam, expressed his party's protest against the "brutal aggression and showing muscles" against a disarmed nation. He added that such a slogan was a pretext for the US to kill women and children in Afghanistan.
Sheikh Zeid al-Muhatwari, Imam and head of the Badr Mosque and Islamic Center said the US has gone mad. "The most powerful country in the world is using the most sophisticated weaponry against the poorest people in the world. I can see that the US has lost the ability to see things properly and has begun working against its interests," he said.
Ordinary people share the same feelings of protest against and disagreement with the strikes against Afghanistan. They also demand protection of Palestinians against Israeli violence.

Reliable sources at the Ministry of Immigrants' Affairs said that four Yemenis have been killed in the attacks against Muslims and Arabs in USA and Europe, which were fueled by September's terrorist attacks against the USA.
Abu Ali Al-Rabei, Ali M.Al-Mansour, and Hamoud K. Al-Shaif were killed in the USA, while Tariq Aman was killed in Canada.
The source confirmed that Abdulsalam Al-Malahi is the only Yemeni citizen who was killed in the attack against the World Trade Center. Sixteen others are still missing. They were working in the Center.
The source pointed out that the US authorities are detaining eight students. All but two were released. Raid Al-Wisabi is charged with having lived with a person whose name appeared in the list of people on one of the planes used in the terrorist attacks.
Ramzi Noman, studying computers in the USA, is still in custody. The US Immigration and Naturalization Service has detained 13 Yemenis for illegal residence in the USA.
The Minister of Immigrants' Affairs, Abdu Ali Qubati, said that the ruthless attacks have affected many Yemenis, including women who are being insulted and abused.
He confirmed that his Ministry is maintaining around-the-clock contact with Yemenis in the USA and Europe, trying to sort out their problems.
He added that advocates to defend those in prisons have been authorized by the Ministry or the Yemeni Embassy. He said that due to various sorts of harassment, some Yemenis have decided to come back home; one of them has already arrived in Sana'a from the USA.
Furthermore, economic officials said Yemen would be very much affected by the terrorist attacks on the USA in terms of its economy. This will hit three fields - oil, tourism and marine shipment. Yemeni oil exports will be affected owing to the fall of oil price to $22 per barrel from $28-30. Yemen heavily depends on the revenues of oil exports. The tourist sector, whose revenues is estimated at $90-100 million annual, has also been greatly hit.

In a press release sent to Yemen Times on Saturday, October 13, Adair Exploration and Adair Yemen Exploration, Ltd. announced that they have filed a lawsuit against Occidental Oil and Gas Corporation and several former employees in the company claiming damages of hundreds of millions of dollars.
The lawsuit alleges that the former employees attempted to take advantage of opportunities for their own benefit in Yemen, instead of the benefit of the company as they should have been doing. Furthermore, it alleges that they interfered with Adair's business relationships with its contractors and employees.
Adair International expressed its disappointment in August 2001 at the Yemeni Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources for removing Adair as operator from block (20) in the Mareb/Shabwa region.

Mohammed Saleh al-Ashmori, director-general of al-Shifa Shops for Yemeni Honey, denied the U.S.-based news claiming that these shops belong to Osama bin Laden, adding that they have no relation with any foreign entities.
In an exclusive statement to the Yemen Times, Al-Ashmori categorically denied this baseless news, adding that he is able to prove this. "This news is mostly fabricated by persons attempting to harm the reputation of Yemeni honey and Yemeni investors in general," al-Ashmori added.
Some U.S.-based news mentioned that the U.S. government has ordered the freeze of the assets of many individuals and organizations believed to have links with terrorism, including al-Hamati Sweets Bakeries, al-Nur Honey Center, and al-Shifa Honey for Industry & Commerce, which are based in Sana'a.

The Penal Appeal Court of Sana'a issued its final verdict last Tuesday against four people charged with bombing the UK embassy in Sana'a on October 13, 2000.
The appeal court reduced the sentences of the attackers. Abubaker Jayol and Ahmad Masud were sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Salam Abu Jahil was sentenced to four years while Faris S. Taher to 2 years. The first and second attackers are also to pay three quarters of the compensation on the material damage, while Salam and Taher will pay the other quarter.
The Primary Court issued its verdict against these defendants July 22, 2001, giving long sentences. Jayol and Masud were sentenced to 15 years, while Salam 6 years and Faris four years.
The appeal court verdict was unexpected as in its last hearing session, the court judge Saeed al-Qata'a said that the final verdict would be passed on Tuesday, October 16. The court didn't give reasons for making the date a bit earlier than expected.
The first two attackers confessed to carrying out the bombing operation of the UK Embassy to protest the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians, considering Britain the major cause of Muslim's plight.
Later, Masud denied his confessions in court and said he was used by the ex-Interior Minister, Hussein Arab, to settle his scores with Jayol. He added that he attempted planting bombs beside Arab's house in cooperation with one of his guards to hold Jayol accountable for the operation. Masud also said he informed Arab two days earlier of the bombing attacks that took place in Aden last January, but Arab absolutely denied such allegations.
No comments have been made by the UK embassy on the verdict. However, the British Ambassador to Yemen, Frances Guy, told the Yemen Times two weeks ago that they are happy with the verdict of the primary court and the speed in which the case has been moving, as well as the way the investigations into the bombing have been carried out. She also pointed out that officials from Scotland Yard helped the Yemeni police in the investigations. They handed their results to the Yemeni authorities. These documents were used by the people in the court for consultation.