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The
list below, compiled from
various sources, includes security incidents and related events which appeared to have some political
significance.
JAN
| FEB | MAR
| APR | MAY
| JUN |
JULY | AUG | SEP |
OCT | NOV | DEC
DECEMBER
2000
BOMB LINKED TO 'MILLENNIUM PLOT'
The attack on USS Cole began with a plan by Osama bin
Laden to stage a spectacular three-country attack last
January,
President Clinton's top terrorism adviser says.
Reports: Washington
Post, ABC,
AP/Dow
Jones. Background: Yemen
Gateway
TORTURE REPORT
The annual report by Human Rights Watch said: “There were credible reports
of torture in state prisons as well as in private jails and illegal
detention facilities” in Yemen. It also noted a deterioration in freedom
of expression. Story: Yemen
Times. Full text: Human
Rights Watch
TRIBE ATTACKS ARMY
Two soldiers were injured in a clash between the Jahm tribe
and the army near Marib. Report: Yemen
Times
NAVAL CHIEF REPLACED
Yemen's naval comander has been replaced after complaining of "endemic
corruption". Report:
AP
NOVEMBER
2000
INVESTIGATORS AGREE
Yemen and the US have reached a deal on how to proceed
with the USS Cole investigation. Reports: New
York Times, Reuters.
Background: Yemen Gateway
GIRL DIES IN STAMPEDE
One girl died and six others, aged between eight and 10, were
injured in an apparent stampede at a school in Sana'a. Report:
Reuters/Alertnet
BIRMINGHAM RAID
British police have raided a shop in Birmingham as part of
their hunt for "Abu Abdullah", an Algerian man who
is said to have arrived in Britain two years ago from Yemen to
recruit volunteers on behalf of Usama bin Laden. Report: Reuters
"MORGUE
MURDERER" SENTENCED TO DEATH
The Sudanese man accused of killing women in the mortuary at
Sana'a University's medical school has been sentenced to
death. Reports: Times
of India, BBC,
Reuters
FIVE DIE IN HELICOPTER CRASH
A Yemeni military helicopter crashed 40 km west of Sana'a,
killing two pilots, two airmen and a Jordanian officer.
Military sources attributed it to a technical fault. Report: AFP
GRENADE KILLS TWO
Two people were killed and five injured in a grenade
explosion in the salt market of Sana'a's old city. It was the
second grenade incident in the market in little more than a
year. Reports: Yemen
Times, Reuters
OCTOBER
2000
USS COLE BOMBED IN ADEN HARBOUR
See Yemen Gateway's special report
BOMB HITS
BRITISH EMBASSY
A bomb exploded at the British embassy in Sana'a early on October
13. It had apparently been thrown over a wall into the
compound. The embassy reported "considerable damage"
but no casualties. Report: Yemen Gateway
SEPTEMBER
2000
MINISTER PRESSES BRITONS' CASE
British minister Keith Vaz, visiting Yemen, said he
had discussed with President Salih the case of seven Britons jailed in Yemen
on terrorism charges (see
special report). Story: Reuters.
Early release likely:
The
Guardian
SALAFIS FALL OUT
Three people were seriously injured in clashes between rival sections of the
Salafi movement at a mosque in Little Aden. Report: Yemen
Times
OIL EXPERTS "NOT ARRESTED"
Seven oil experts who went missing in eastern Yemen (see news
item below) had strayed over the Saudi border, but were not
arrested, the Saudi news agency said. Report: Middle
East Wire
OIL EXPERTS DISAPPEAR IN DESERT
Seven oil experts, including including Americans and
Australians, have gone missing in eastern Yemen where they
were working near the Saudi border. Yemeni army helicopters
have been searching the area, but there are suggestions they
may have been arrested by the Saudis. Report: AP/CNN
VILLAGE
GUN BATTLE
Two soldiers are said to have died in a battle between security forces
and villagers near Dhali'. No details yet.
EARLY RELEASE LIKELY FOR JAILED BRITONS
Yemen is planning an early release for five young Britons
jailed on terrorism charges. The move follows a meeting
between foreign secretary Robin Cook and President Ali
Abdullah Salih in London. It is thought the Britons could be
released early next year to mark a special occasion, such as
'Eid al-Adha (March 6) or Yemen's National Day (May
22). Report:
The
Guardian. Background: Yemen
Gateway
TRIBE HALTS DIG
A French-Italian archaeological team had to stop excavations
following pressure from a tribe in the Bayhan region. Report: AFP
LAND MINE AT TAX OFFICE
Police in Sanaa defused a land mine placed in front of a tax
office. Meanwhile, three men have been jailed for 15 years for
kidnapping foreigners. Report: ArabicNews
AUGUST 2000
TRIBE ATTACKS PUMPING STATION
Members of the Zayidi tribe attacked an oil pumping station number
in the Serwah area of Marib with rocket-propelled grenades and
bazookas. Report: Yemen
Times
SOCIALIST LEADERS ARRESTED
Five leaders of the Yemen Socialist Party, preparing for their
fourth general congress, were briefly detaining in Aden for "
meeting without a permit". Reports: Yemen
Times, AP.
Party congress: Yemen
Times
BOMB INJURES SOLDIERS
Four soldiers were injured while trying to defuse a bomb near the
offices of a Ba'ath party newspaper. Report: Reuters
PORNOGRAPHY CRACKDOWN
Security forces are cracking down on hotels using satellite dishes
to offer guests the ability to watch pornographic films. Report: AFP
OFFICIAL SHOT DEAD
The assistant deputy governor of Sana'a province was shot
dead, and several others were injured, when gunmen opened fire
on his car. Report: Reuters
FAMILY SUE UNIVERSITY
The family of an Iraqi student
allegedly murdered by a mortuary worker at Sana'a Medical
School are to sue the university. Report: Reuters
JULY 2000
JAIL FOUND AT UNIVERSITY
A private prison - one of a number in Yemen - has been
discovered at Sana'a university. Report: Yemen
Times
MILITARY SPENDING CUTS
Yemen is to reduce military spending (currently more than 32%
of the state budget) as a result of the border agreement with
Saudi Arabia. Report: Reuters
BRITISH TEENAGER SHOT DEAD
A 16-year-old youth from London, Hosea Walker, was been shot dead
at an Islamic studies centre in Sa'ada. Reports: BBC,
Ananova,
AFP, Reuters,
The
Times
MINISTER ATTACKS BLASPHEMY CASE
The information minister has criticised the blasphemy trial of a
journalist, saying it has damaged Yemen's image. Report: Reuters
JUNE 2000
SECURITY
FORCES SHELL VILLAGE
Security forces and army units used heavy artillery to shell
Misrakh village in Ta'iz province. The move came when people
guarding a small plot of land against confiscation resisted
arrest. First reports said at least five people were injured
and eight houses were destroyed. Report: AP/Ananova
KIDNAPPER GETS 20 YEARS
A 25-year-old Yemeni has been jailed for 20 years for kidnapping. Other
members of the gang are still at large. Report: Reuters.
Background: Yemen
Gateway.
MURDERS CONFIRMED
German experts, called in the investigate the "morgue
murders" case, have confirmed that two of the alleged victims
were murdered. Report: Reuters
KIDNAPPED NORWEGIAN SHOT DEAD
A Norwegian diplomat has been shot dead in Yemen after he
and his eight-year old son were kidnapped by armed men.
Reports: Yemen
Times, AFP,
BBC
DEATH SENTENCES FOR KIDNAPPING
Seven Yemenis have been sentenced to death, and 21 others to
jail terms of up to 15 years. Eighteen of the 28 people
convicted - including the group's alleged leader - were tried
in their absence. Report: Reuters
TWO JAILED FOR BOMBINGS
Two men have been jailed for a series of bomb attacks in
southern Yemen. Reports: Reuters,
AFP
MAY 2000
CALL FOR EXECUTION OF
"RIPPER"
A protest march by more than 10,000 students called for the
"Sanaa ripper", who has confessed to raping and
murdering 16 women, be executed. Reports: Reuters,
AFP,
Yemen
Times
15 BODIES FOUND
Investigators in the case of the mortuary murders at Sana'a
university have found the bodies of 15 women. Report: Reuters
MURDER IN THE MORGUE
Police have arrested a Sudanese assistant at Sana'a
University's medical school on suspicion of raping and
murdering up to 16 women. There are reports that the man, who
worked in the mortuary and taught students how to carry out
autopsies, sold his victims' body parts to customers outside
Yemen. Reports:
AP/CNN,
BBC.
Suspect "killed 11 more women in Sudan": BBC
APRIL 2000
"SORCERER" IS A YEMENI
The Saudi interior minister, Prince Nayef, says the
"sorcerer" arrested on April 23 is a Yemeni. The
arrested man, Hussein Ismail al-Makrami, was imam of the Ismailis'
main mosque in Najran, close to the border with Yemen. A Saudi
security officer was killed when disturbances broke out following
the arrest. Reports: AFP,
ABC
News
KIDNAP SUSPECT ARRESTED
The Yemeni authorities have arrested a man suspected of kidnapping
foreigners. He is also accused of murder and armed assaults. The
identity of the kidnap victims has not been disclosed. Reports: ArabicNews,
Reuters,
BBC
FOUR DIE IN PRIVATE JAIL
April 24: Four men have died after being imprisoned by sheikhs
Nasser and Ali al-Mikdad in Dhamar province. There are
numerous tribal prisons in Yemen, though the government has
attempted to close some of them. Report: Yemen
Times
YEMENI PLANE
"VIOLATED NIGERIAN AIR SPACE"
A Yemeni airliner which had been detained in Kano since
Saturday for violating Nigeria's air space has now been
allowed to leave. Report: AFP
STUDENTS CALLED TO FIGHT IN CHECHNYA
Several Yemeni students say they have been offered large sums
of money to fight in Chechnya. Report: Yemen
Times
BRITONS' SENTENCES UPHELD
April 16: Yemen's Supreme Court has upheld jail sentences
against seven Britons convicted on terrorism charges. Report: Reuters
YEMENI
BEHEADED IN SAUDI ARABIA
April 3: A Yemeni convicted of kidnapping and sexually abusing a
boy was beheaded in Najran, Saudi Arabia. It was the 15th
beheading in Saudi Arabia this year. Last year, at least 99 people
were executed. Report: AP
YEMENI ON TERROR CHARGES
A Yemeni is among 28 people indicted in Jordan on terrorism
charges. The authorities say the suspects are linked to Osama bin
Laden. Report: UPI
MARCH
2000
SHEIKH MURDERED
Sheikh Hassan Mohammed Manna'a (a businessman and a
prominent figure in the Islah party) was shot dead on March 25
while leaving his house in Sa'ada. A man has been arrested,
but the motive for the murder is not clear. Report: Yemen
Times
TRIBAL
BARRICADE NEAR MARIB
The Obaidah tribe has set up a road block 5 km from Marib
because of a dispute with the Bani Hareth tribe over
employment at the Janah Hunt Oil field. Report: Yemen
Times
CLASH IN TAHRIR SQUARE
The son of "an influential man" was involved in
an armed clash in Tahrir Square, Sana'a. Report: Yemen
Times
COMPANY TO BE PROSECUTED
The government is to prosecute al-Monkid, the well-known
investment company, for allegedly violating business
regulations. The firm was recently accused of involvement in
the kidnapping of an American oil worker. Report: Yemen
Times
JUDGE SEEKS ASYLUM
A prominent Yemeni judge is seeking political asylum in the
west. Report: Yemen
Times
MYSTERY OF MISSING STUDENT
A 22-year-old female student from the UAE has been missing in
Yemen since last December. Her family believe she has been
kidnapped. Report: Gulf
News
DUTCH MAN SHOT DEAD
A Dutch man and a Yemeni working on a project to develop small
industries have been shot dead by a colleague at their office in Sana'a.
Reports: Reuters,
UPI
SAUDIS IN KIDNAP TRIAL
Eight men, including two Saudis, have gone on trial, accused of plotting to
kidnap foreigners and "obtaining money by fraud and forging official
Saudi and Yemeni documents." Report: Reuters/ABC
FEBRUARY 2000
GOVERNOR IN GUN BATTLE
The governor of al-Dali' province survived an assassination
attempt on February 15. His security men returned fire in a
gun battle which lasted for about an hour. Reports: al-Ayyam
(Arabic), Reuters
U.S. ISSUES TRAVEL WARNING
The United States has revised - and hardened - its advice on travel to
Yemen. Report: UPI
PLAN TO DESTROY LAND MINES
Yemen is to destroy a stockpile of 10,000 anti-personnel mines as part of
its commitment to an international treaty banning the weapons. Report: Reuters
JAIL FOR BOMBING ATTEMPT
A 19-year-old youth has been jailed for three years for
attempting to blow up Yemen's main oil pipeline. Report: Reuters
TEENAGER ON SABOTAGE CHARGE
A 19-year-old youth has gone on trial, accused of attempting
to bomb Yemen's main oil pipeline. Report: Reuters
JANUARY
2000
YEMEN BLAMES FOREIGN PLOTS
Yemen says "foreign fronts" are behind kidnappings
and their aim is to damage the country's reputation and
stability. Report: ArabicNews
PIRATE ATTACK
An Australian woman was shot and wounded when she and her
partner were attacked in their catamaran by pirates. Report: AFP
ISLAH LEADERS "BEHIND
KIDNAP"
The government has accused leaders of the main opposition
party, Islah, of being behind the abduction of an American oil
worker. Reports: AFP,
AP.
American was snatched from his bed: Yemen
Times. Kidnap Chronicle: Yemen
Gateway.
ARMS GUARANTEES HALTED
Britain is to stop underwriting arms loans to a further 22
developing countries, including Yemen. Report: AP
"JACKAL" SENTENCE
Johannes Weinrich, a close associate of Carlos "the
Jackal", was sentenced to life imprisonment on January 17
by a German court for his part in the 1983 bombing of a French
cultural center in West Berlin. Weinrich was eventually found
in Yemen and extradited to Germany in 1995.
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