Day by day
A chronology
of events surrounding the
"bomb plot" and kidnapping
1999
August 4:
Appeal court upholds Abu al-Hassan's death sentence, along with that of another Yemeni,
Abdullah Muhsin Salih al-Junaidi ("Abu Hadhifa"). The third man, a Tunisian
teacher who claimed he only acted as interpreter for the kidnappers, has his death
sentence commuted to eight years' imprisonment. See Abu
al-Hassan: what now?
July 13:
"Abu Huraira", one of the three kidnappers sentenced to death, briefly escapes
from prison in Shawba. According to al-Ayyam newspaper (July 14) he jumped over a wall but was
recaptured before he had gone more than 500 metres from the prison.
June 22: Aden "bomb plot" trial
ends with summing-up speeches. Prosecutor calls on the judge to convict all the accused
for "crimes endangering society". Defence lawyer argues that there is no
evidence to convict the men. Asked if they have any final words, all the defendants say
that they are innocent, with some threatening divine retribution on the judge if he finds
them guilty. A verdict is expected on July 25.
May 27: Interior minister says Yemen has arrested
15 suspects who were "planning actions to disturb security and stability in the
country" - allegedly by attacking foreign targets. He says they have "close
links" with Abu Hamza and also with the Islamic Army. The minister says seven of the
suspects are of Yemeni origin but hold citizenship of "a neighbouring country".
The nationality of the other eight is not specified.
May 26: Defence lawyers in Aden produce photographs
showing bruises on some of the accused in the "bomb plot" trial. The photographs
were allegedly taken without permission last January. The judge says he will rule later on
whether they can be admitted as evidence.
May 25: Abu Hamza issues a statement on behalf of
the Islamic Army of Aden-Abyan renewing its threat to kill foreigners in Yemen if the
death sentences against its members are carried out. The "army" says it is
willing to negotiate but "if negotiations fail, all foreigners in Yemen from Western
ambassadors, experts and doctors to tourists have to leave Yemen. The Aden-Abyan Islamic
Army will not kidnap them but will kill them". The statement also threatens delegates
attending the Emerging Democracies Forum
to be held in Sanaa on June 27-29.
May 24: Abu Hamza says he will urge his supporters
to strike back if his son and stepson are convicted of terrorism. "When you find no
ears to listen, then military action is permissible by Islam,'' he says.
May 23: In a closed court session (at the
request of the defence) two Britons told of sexual abuse by some of their jailers,
according to a defence lawyer. Muhsin Ghailan and Mohammad Mustafa Kamal (Abu Hamza's
stepson and son, respectively) gave the names and ranks of the two soldiers allegedly
involved, the lawyer says.
May 17: Abu Hamza and two other men who
were arrested in March under anti-terrorism laws report to police in London. Their bail is
extended until July 26. Investigations are continuing.
May 17: In Aden, Malik Nasser Harhara,
one of the British defendants, describes his arrest. He tells the court he was in a rented
car with two friends from London when police stopped them. He says he tried to bribe the
policeman because his companion, Muhsin Ghailan, did not have a valid licence. When the
policeman asked for more, they drove off but then crashed the car. When they got to their
hotel they were arrested.
May 16: Lawyers file appeals against
death sentences passed on three of the kidnappers and the 20-year jail sentence on a
fourth man.
May 15: A Reuters report says that Muhsin
Ghailan, stepson of Abu Hamza, confirmed to the Aden court that "his English-language
confession admitting that he had obtained explosives from a place in Abyan was
correct". According to Reuters, another defendant, Malik Nasser Harhara, was asked in
court if the confession and signature attributed to him were his, and replied
"yes". Harhara's confession statement says that he went to Yemen for instruction
in the use of firearms by another defendant, Shahid Butt, who had been trained in
Afghanistan. Reuters also reported that a third - unnamed - defendant acknowledged his
confession. A Reuters report on April 26, in which Butt was said to have admitted parts of
his confession in court, was denied by a British diplomat who attended the court.
May 12: Agence France Presse
reports that Ghulam Hussein is still in jail and looking for a Yemeni trader to guarantee
the terms of his release.
May 9: Court in Aden rules that
one of the Britons, 25-year-old Ghulam Hussein, can be released on bail on health grounds.
He is said to be suffering from malaria, liver inflammation, asthma and emphysema.
May 8: Al-Hayat newspaper receives a
telephone message saying that the Islamic Army of Aden-Abyan "pledges to cleanse the
symbols of secularism...if the government does not back down from its decision to execute
the Islamic leader Abu al-Hassan.'' It singles out the Interior Minister, Hussein Mohammad
Arab, for assassination.
May 8: The British consul, David Pearce,
is quoted in al-Ayyam newspaper as saying "I hope that the death sentence in this
case will be commuted to a jail sentence", because Britain and other European
countries do not approve of the death penalty.
May 6: Al-Hayat newspaper quotes Abu
Hamza al-Masri as saying that anyone who "contributes" to carrying out the
sentence on the kidnappers will be a "legitimate target".
May 6: In Aden, prosecutor tells court of
admissions made by several of the accused Britons in an interview with the British consul,
David Pearce, in January. He alleged that the Britons told Mr Pearce (in the presence of
Aden's chief of police, a defence lawyer and an interpreter) that they had been given
weapons by Abu al-Hassan al-Mihdar. In Aden, prosecutor tells court of
admissions made by several of the accused Britons in an interview with the British consul,
David Pearce, in January. He alleged that the Britons told Mr Pearce (in the presence of
Aden's chief of police, a defence lawyer and an interpreter) that they had been given
weapons by Abu al-Hassan al-Mihdar.
May 6: Medical report by one Dutch and two Yemeni
doctors says that four of the accused Britons and one Algerian on trial "are in a
good physical and mental state and show no signs of torture". However, the report
does mention "old wounds that had been scarred over". Medical report by one Dutch and two Yemeni
doctors says that four of the accused Britons and one Algerian on trial "are in a
good physical and mental state and show no signs of torture". However, the report
does mention "old wounds that had been scarred over".
May 5: In Zinjibar, death sentences are passed on
Zein Al-Abidine al-Mihdar ("Abu al-Hassan"), Abdullah Salih al-Junaidi and Salih
Abu Huraira, an Algerian. Ahmed Mohammed Atif is sentenced to 20 years in prison, but his
brother is acquitted along with nine other men who were tried in their absence. In Zinjibar, death sentences are passed on
Zein Al-Abidine al-Mihdar ("Abu al-Hassan"), Abdullah Salih al-Junaidi and Salih
Abu Huraira, an Algerian. Ahmed Mohammed Atif is sentenced to 20 years in prison, but his
brother is acquitted along with nine other men who were tried in their absence.
May 5: Abu Hamza al-Masri warns the government in
Sanaa not to carry out the sentence or risk overthrow. Abu Hamza al-Masri warns the government in
Sanaa not to carry out the sentence or risk overthrow.
May 3: In court in Aden, two more Britons, Chaz Nabi
and Iyad Hussein formally deny making the confessions attributed to them by Yemeni police. In court in Aden, two more Britons, Chaz Nabi
and Iyad Hussein formally deny making the confessions attributed to them by Yemeni police.
April 26: British defendant Shahid Butt
is questioned in court about his alleged confession statement, but there are conflicting
reports of what he said. According to Reuters news agency, Butt told the court that Abu
Hamza al-Masri, the London-based imam, recruited him at the mosque he attended and sent
him to Yemen for military training so that he would be ready to fight in support of
Muslims outside Yemen. According to this version, Butt also told the court he did not plan
sabotage in Yemen itself. However, a BBC report later quotes a British diplomat who
attended the court as saying that Butt made no such admissions. According to the BBC, Butt
disowned the "confession" statement and said it was extracted by force.
April 24: Abd al-Rahman 'Amr, one of two
Algerian defendants in the Aden trial tells the court investigators had threatened to take
him to a detention centre and torture him unless he confessed to coming to Yemen to carry
out bomb attacks. He also says the signature on his alleged confession is forged.
April 22: Yemeni interior minister says
British investigators are in Yemen to gather information about Abu Hamza el-Masri, the
London-based imam. He says the visit is part of "efforts undertaken by London to
arrest and put on trial Abu Hamza in Britain or Yemen soon."
April 21: Another accused Briton, Sarmad
Ahmed, tells the court in Aden that his confession statement had been "signed after
torture".
April 19: In Aden, alleged confessions of
Muhsin Ghailan and Malik Harhara are read in court. Both deny them. Ghailan says: "I
was threatened by a soldier to sign these pages, but I don't read Arabic." Harhara
says: "This is not true, I don't speak Arabic." Prosecutor says both defendants
"speak and write Arabic fairly well".
April 15: Judge in Aden trial agrees to
an independent medical examination of the defendants. His solution is to have the men
examined by a panel of three doctors - two Yemenis and a third from "a neutral and
friendly country". All three will have to be approved by the Yemeni health ministry
but the lawyers may be allowed to nominate a doctor from France, Germany, the Netherlands
or the United States.
April 14: Three of the seven-man defence
team in Aden return to court after being allowed private meetings with their clients - for
the first time since the men were arrested.
April 7: Judge in Aden trial theatens to
appoint a new defence team because of continuing boycott by defence lawyers.
April 5: Tony Blair, the British prime
minister, calls for an independent doctor to examine the Britons on trial in Aden. Foreign
Office says he has asked the Yemeni government to allow a human rights lawyer to accompany
an independent doctor, and has also asked that the defence team be allowed full access to
their clients and to prosecution documents. Meanwhile, defence lawyers fail to turn up for
the resumed hearing; judge threatens to appoint new lawyers if they do not attend the next
session on April 7.
March 24: Defence lawyers in the Aden
trial withdraw from the case in protest at what they describe as illegal measures by the
prosecutor's office. They say they are not being allowed to hold private sessions with
their clients in prison. Badr Basuneid, one of the legal team, says all seven defence
lawyers have walked out but the prosecutor's office says only three have done so.
March 22: The "confession" of
Malik Harhara (who has dual British and Yemeni nationality) is read to the court in Aden.
In the statement, Harhara allegedly admits being sent to Yemen by Abu Hamza al-Masri to
bomb British and American targets, and undergoing military training with the Jihad
organisation in Yemen. Harhara says it was extracted under torture and tells
the judge: "I said nothing of the sort. Maybe I signed a document but I did not know
what was in it."
March 20: Aden trial resumes unexpectedly, having
previously been adjourned until April 20. Several defence lawyers are reportedly on
holiday. Yemeni authorities say they want to clear a backlog of cases.
March 18: British police release Abu Hamza al-Masri
and two other men. They are on bail until May 18, pending further inquiries.
March 15: British police arrest Abu Hamza at a flat
in west London. Two other men - one of whom is understood to have been sentenced to death
by an Egyptian court - are also arrested. All three are held under the Prevention of
Terrorism Act, which allows detention without charges for up to seven days.
March 15: Aden "bomb plot" trial adjourned
until April 20 because of the Hajj period, when Yemeni courts are normally in recess. Aden "bomb plot" trial adjourned
until April 20 because of the Hajj period, when Yemeni courts are normally in recess.
March 13: "Bomb plot" court in
Aden sees two videos seized at the villa rented by Muhsin Ghalain. One shows four of the
accused holding automatic weapons during "military training" in Albania last
August. Ghailan says he made the video as a "souvenir" of their trip. The second
video shows one of the defendants with Abu Hamza al-Masri. The case was adjourned until
March 15 after defence lawyers claimed the evidence was inadmissible.
March 11: The interior minister, Hussein
al-Arab, says Yemen is in contact with British officials regarding the extradition of Abu
Hamza al-Masri, the London-based imam, who is wanted on terrorism charges.
March 11: Court in Aden examines weapons,
explosives and videos allegedly found by police when they raided a villa rented by Muhsin
Ghailan, Abu Hamza's stepson. The accused say they know nothing about a number of
anti-tank mines produced in court. The judge rejects another defence request to release
the defendants under supervision; he says the charges are too serious.
March 9: Judge in Aden trial is ill -
case postponed.
March 7: Abu Hamza issues a new
threat on behalf of the Islamic Army, warning the British and American ambassadors to
leave Yemen.
March 6: A morning of legal argument in
the Aden "bomb plot" trial. Prosecution insists "there was no procedural
error in the arrest or the detention of the accused." Adjourned until March 9.
March 1: In an unrelated case in Aden,
six men are sentenced to between two and four years for a series of bombings in empty car
parks during July 1998. Nobody was injured in the attacks.
February 28: In the Zinjibar kidnap
trial, the court appoints lawyers for the nine absentee defendants.
February 27: The Aden "bomb
plot" court is shown communications equipment allegedly used by the defendants. It
includes a global positioning system (GPS), satellite dishes and mobile phones. One of the
defendants, Malik Harhara, says he used the GPS to work out his position when driving out
of town.
February 26: British lawyer, Rashad
Yaqoob, says he was beaten, abused and threatened by Yemen's security forces before being
expelled from Yemen. He produces a letter
signed by all 10 defendants in Aden.
February 25: Yemen expels Rashad Yaqoob,
a British lawyer who was briefly arrested on February 20. The authorities claim that he
made a "false statement to the public prosecutor" by alleging that Mustapha
Kamil, arrested son of Abu Hamza, had been "tortured and mistreated".
February 21: In Zinjibar, the prosecution
seeks to introduce forensic evidence showing that the western hostages were all shot from
behind. Four witnesses appear on behalf of Ahmad Atif, one of the accused. Three of them
testify that he had left the Islamic Army four or five months before the kidnapping. One
witness says Ahmad Atif was in Rada'a - miles away - on the morning of the kidnapping. Abu
al-Hassan gives a soldier money and sends him out to buy mineral water for everyone in
court. The judge and prosecutors decline to drink it.
February 20: Rashad Yaqoob, a British
lawyer helping with the defence of the accused Britons, arrested shortly before he was due
to attend a press conference. Taken to hospital after becoming ill in police custody;
released after a few hours. Major Ahmad Muthana, deputy head of security in Aden, said the
authorities had merely wanted to check whether his visa had expired - though he added that
Mr Yaqoob had also criticised Yemen. Relatives of the accused later said they had been
prevented from holding the press conference at the Aden Moevenpick hotel.
February 18: In Zinjibar, Abu al-Hassan
tells the court that his group, the Islamic Army of Aden-Abyan, had been planning more
attacks on Americans and Britons. "Our plan was to go to Aden after the kidnapping to
liquidate Americans in one of the city's hotels and attack a church
Two religions
cannot unite and a church bell cannot sound in the Arabian peninsula."
February 16: Dr Fouad al-Qahiri, a doctor
at a government hospital in Aden, tells the "bomb plot" court that he examined
five of the suspects on January 15 and found no evidence of torture. He says bruises on
the suspects' wrists were caused by handcuffs. The defence is expected to challenge the
doctor's evidence on January 20.
February 15: In the kidnap trial in
Zinjibar, Abu al-Hassan al-Mihdar admits giving orders to kill the hostages in the event
of a rescue operation. He says his instruction was "to kill only the men, and not the
women, if Yemeni police intervened to free the hostages." However, he denies any
connection with Abu Hamza al-Masri, the London-based leader of Supporters of Shariah.
February 13: Four additional defendants
join the "bomb plot" trial in Aden, making a total of ten. They are Muhammad
Mustafa Kamil (the 17-year-old son of Abu Hamza), Shaaz Nabi, 20, and Ayaz Hussein, 25
(two cousins from Birmingham), and Kamal Ali Muhammad Saghir (aka "Ali Muksin"),
an Algerian who was living in Britain and entered Yemen on a false French passport. Abu
Hamza's son admits membership of an armed group, but denies other charges.
February 11: A soldier, giving evidence
in the Zinjibar kidnap trial, says he saw the kidnappers open fire on Yemeni troops, but
he did not see who had killed four of the hostages. Another witness, who earlier had acted
as a mediator between the kidnappers and Yemeni authorities, says the captors told him
they did not want to negotiate with anybody.
February 10: Judge in Aden rejects a
defence request to dismiss the charges on the grounds that the confessions had been made
under torture. He says this cannot be considered until evidence of torture is presented to
the court. The judge adds that a Yemeni doctor who examined the six says he saw no signs
of torture.
February 10: British lawyer, Stephen
Jakobi, of the Fair Trials Abroad organisation, says he will travel to Yemen to observe
the trial in Aden.
February 10: British Airways postpones
the start of its new scheduled service to Yemen.
February 9: Defence lawyers in the Aden
trial ask for charges to be dismissed on the grounds that confessions were obtained under
torture. The judge adjourns the case to consider it.
February 9: British consul-general, David
Pearce, visits the three Britons who were arrested on January 27 - Mohammed Mustafa Kamil
(son of Abu Hamza), Ayaz Hussain and Shaz Nabi.
February 8: British Prime Minister Tony
Blair meets President Salih at King Hussein's funeral in Amman. They have a
"civilised discourse". Later, both sides say they are working to improve
relations.
February 8: Trial of Abu al-Hassan
resumes. Two recently-arrested suspects are now included, making a total of five people on
trial for kidnapping the 16 western tourists. Four witnesses, all drivers with the tour
group, give evidence. It is still not clear who killed four of the hostages. One witness
says: "The kidnappers opened fire at the security forces. The kidnappers told us the
security forces will retreat after they hear the sound of bullets because they are more
concerned with the lives of Christians (the hostages)." Another witness says:
"The kidnappers asked me to go to the army and tell them that the hostages were at
the front and that they would be the first victims." Adjourned until February 11.
February 6: Two men wanted in connection
with kidnapping the tourists give themselves up in Shabwa after negotiations. They are
Sa'id al-Fayadhi al-Malqab ("Abu Nasser al-Awlaqi") and Salim al-Fayadhi
al-Malqab ("Abu Abdullah"). Al-Ayyam newspaper (8.2.99) reports that
negotiations are also taking place with a tribe for two of its members to be handed over
to the authorities.
February 6: Aden trial resumes for four
hours, then adjourned until February 9. Court hears that weapons allegedly found in a car
do not carry fingerprints linking them to the accused. Judge asks British lawyer, Rashad
Yaqoob, to leave because he is not recognised by the court. One of the the defence
lawyers, Badr Basunaid, boycotts the proceedings after refusing to allow his bag to be
searched on the way in.
February 6: Trial of Abu al-Hassan, and
two others accused of kidnapping 16 western tourists, resumes in Zinjibar. Abu al-Hassan
ridicules the judge and demands to be tried in an Islamic court by two radical ulama'
from the Islah party (Daylami and Zindani). He tells the court: "We fought in
Afghanistan and Chechnya and we will continue our struggle until the establishment of an
Islamic state in Yemen." Adjourned until February 8.
February 4: Relatives of two of the
accused are refused admission to Yemen at Sana'a airport because they had not obtained
visas in advance, as required by new regulations. They were: Valerie Fleming (mother
of Mohammed Mustafa Kamil, Abu Hamza's son); Charles Traverso (Kamil's grandfather);
Afzal Amin (a relative of Shahid Butt) and Moazzam Begg (an interpreter).
[Editor's note added 15 February 2009: A Reuters report at the time
quoted a Yemeni official as saying that Afzal Amin was a relative of
Shahid Butt. Mr Amin has asked us to make clear that he is not related to Mr Butt
and went to Yemen as an advisor only.]
February 4: Britain announces that it has
closed the British Council's cultural and language centres in Sana'a and Aden; staff have
begun leaving Yemen.
February 3: Yemeni Interior Minister,
interviewed by a newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, says that the detained Britons
were carrying two extra passports each - to be used in emergencies.
February 3: Yemenia announces that it is
cutting its London-Sana'a flights from two per week to one, as "a temporary
measure". Earlier, a newspaper report said that one recent Yemenia flight carried
only four passengers.
February 1: "Bomb plot" trial
resumes. Six prosecution witnesses called, amid tighter reporting restrictions. Adjourned
until Saturday February 6.
January 31: Observer newspaper
reports that two of the accused - Ghailan and Harhara - far from being Islamic extremists,
are not practising Muslims.
January 31: British pathologist, Chris
Milroy, says the detainees' torture claims are "very persuasive".
January 30: Trial of "bomb
plot" suspects resumes. Prosecutor seeks reporting restrictions; judge apparently
agrees but nature of restrictions is unclear. Police give evidence of high speed car chase
in Aden. Witness identifies Harhara as driver, Ghailan as one of two passengers.
January 30: Clare Short, British minister
for International Development, urges supporters of the accused not to make
"crazy" statements.
January 28: President Salih, in an
interview with al-Quds newspaper, describes Abu Hamza as "the main instigator"
of a terrorist plot in Yemen. He accuses Abu Hamza's organisation of an earlier attack, on October 13, 1998,
when explosives strapped to a donkey wounded an army officer and a soldier.
January 27: Trial of "bomb
plot" suspects opens in Aden. Adjourned to allow more time to prepare a defence.
January 27: Yemeni forces in Wadi'a,
Abyan province, arrest six more suspects. They include three Britons (among them the son
of Abu Hamza al-Masri), a Frenchman living in Britain, a Yemeni and an Algerian of
Tunisian origin.
January 26: Yemeni forces in Wadi'a,
Abyan province, besiege a mountainous area where four Islamic militants linked to the
December 28 kidnapping are believed to be hiding.
January 26: Yemen announces that visas
will no longer be issued on arrival in the country; they must be obtained in advance
through embassies.
January 25: President Ali Abdullah Salih
writes to Tony Blair, the British prime minister, seeking Abu Hamza's extradition to
Yemen, "to be tried on charges of carrying out terrorist activities in Yemen and in
several other Arab states".
January 21: British government says it is
writing to all Britons resident in Yemen, asking them "to consider whether their
presence is absolutely essential and, if not, to leave."
January 20: Abu Hamza holds press conference in London; warns all westerners to
leave Yemen and calls for the overthrow of the Yemeni government.
January 16: Badr Basunaid, lawyer
representing representing the six men detained in Aden, says that the sixth man, who was
carrying a French passport which did not belong to him, is an Arab called Amer Abderrahman
who speaks with a North African accent.
January 15: Yemeni prime minister,
Abdul-Karim al-Iryani, speaks to Robin Cook, the British Foreign Secretary, on the
telephone and expresses "grave concern and unease over practices against the republic
of Yemen by terrorist groups based in Britain".
January 15: Four of the five arrested
Britons are charged with "association with armed gangs with a criminal plan to commit
murder, explosions and destruction and possession of weapons".
January 14: Abu Hamza, interviewed by
al-Jazirah television (widely watched in Yemen), says that if Abu al-Hassan is executed
"there will be vindictive operations, namely killing without kidnapping".
January 14: British consul-general, David
Pearce, visits Malik Nasser Harhara, who has dual British-Yemeni nationality, in jail.
January 13: Abu al-Hassan al-Mihdar and
two brothers, Ahmed Mohammad Ali Atef, 26, and his brother Saad Mohammad Ali Atef, 18,
appear in court in Zinjibar, charged with kidnapping, premeditated murder, highway
robbery, sabotage and forming an armed group called the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army. Eleven
others, including an Algerian, are charged in their absence.
January 10: The Observer newspaper reports that Abu Hamza al-Masri, leader of
the London-based group, Supporters of Shariah, had links with both the kidnappers and some
of the arrested Britons.
January 9-10: British diplomat visits
four of the arrested Britons in jail; two of them say they have been kicked and punched
while in detention. Fifth man has dual British and Yemeni nationality - there is no legal
obligation to allow diplomatic access.
January 6: Interior Minister Hussein Arab
says that seven members of the "terrorist group" whose release the kidnappers
were demanding carried British passports.
January 6: The Times newspaper reports
that security chiefs in Aden have told two Scotland Yard detectives investigating the
hostages' deaths to leave the city "on the next available flight". Britain later
describes the dispute as a "bureaucratic hitch".
January 6: British ambassador in Yemen,
Victor Henderson, denies reports of a change in policy towards Yemen's application to join
the British Commonwealth.
January 5: Interior Minister Hussein Arab
says FBI and Scotland Yard detectives "are only here to get the results of the
inquiry by the Yemeni security services and to shed light on the crime
they are not
here to participate, directly or indirectly, in the inquiry."
January 3: Junior Foreign Office minister
Tony Lloyd says Yemen's application to join the British Commonwealth will be turned down
because it does not meet the entry criteria on good governance.
January 2: FBI and Scotland Yard
investigators start work in Yemen.
January 1: Nine survivors from among the
hostages return to Britain.
1998
December 30: Abu Hamza al-Masri of the
London-based Supporters of Shariah, issues a communique
on behalf of the Islamic Army of Aden-Abyan.
December 29: Yemeni troops in shoot-out
with kidnappers. Four hostages killed, the survivors are released. Two kidnappers killed,
three arrested.
December 28: Abu al-Hassan and the Islamic Army of Aden-Abyan kidnap 16 mainly British
tourists travelling through Abyan with the Explore Worldwide company. Abu al-Hassan phones
Abu Hamza in London to say that he has captured some "infidels" and discusses
what to do with them.
December 24-26: Abu Hamza's organisation,
Supporters of Shariah, holds its fourth Islamic
Camp at Finsbury Park Mosque in north London. The list of activities includes
"military training for brothers", illustrated with a picture of a hand grenade.
December 23/24: Around midnight, Daewoo
car with three occupants crashes in Aden. Police find weapons
and explosives inside. Five Britons and a man with a French passport arrested in raids on two hotels and a villa.
December 19: Sarmad Ahmad checks into
al-Wafa hotel, Aden.
December 18: Ghulam Hussein flies to
Yemen, on his own, according to supporters.
December 18: Sarmad Ahmed flies to Yemen
via London.
December 12: General Anthony Zinni, head
of US Central Command, meets President Salih to discuss "co-operation on demining and
joint military exercises," according to the Saba news agency. This was the seventh
senior US military delegation to visit Yemen in 1998.
November 28: Shahid Butt leaves Britain
for Yemen.
November 28: Mustapha Kamil and Kamal
Barakan fly to Yemen.
November 13: Shazad Nabi and Iyad Hussein
fly to Yemen.
October 11: Abu Hamza al-Masri of the
London-based Supporters of Shariah, issues a communique
on behalf of the Islamic Army of Aden-Abyan.
July 3: Malik Nasser Harhara flies to
Yemen with his mother; she returns on August 20. |