Yemen asked Germany to hand over two of its citizens alleged to be high-level members of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network arrested in Frankfurt on Friday following a request from the United States.
A foreign ministry official was quoted by the official Yemen news agency SABA as saying the "Yemeni government is asking the federal German government to hand over the two Yemenis detained in this country and not to hand them over to any other party."
He said it was the Yemeni authorities’ right to question the men, who sources close to the German investigation said were arrested in a hotel and are suspected of providing logistical support for al-Qaeda in Yemen.
"If the American parties have evidence implicating these two Yemeni citizens in any acts of terrorism, they should present them to the Yemeni authorities," he said.
"If their implication (in any terrorist acts) is verified, the competent Yemeni authorities will bring them before the courts," he added, emphasizing that the country's constitution "totally forbids the handing over of any Yemeni citizen to any foreign authority."
According to various German media reports, one of the men, identified as Mohammed Ali Hassan El Mohad, is an alleged finance chief for al-Qaeda Head Osama bin Laden. The other man was identified as Said Mohammed Moshen. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
