The suspects

Click here for more detail on the suspects' connections with Usama bin Laden

Jamal al-Badawi

The most senior of the six arrested suspects. Told investigators he received telephone instructions for the bombing from Mohammed Omar al-Harazi in the United Arab Emirates. Badawi said he had met Harazi in Afghanistan during the war but had not seen him since.

Mohammed Omar al-Harazi

Identified by Badawi as his contact in the Emirates. Believed to have financed the attack. Saudi citizen born to a Yemeni family in the Haraz region. Also known as "Abu al-Mohsin" and "Abu al-Hasan". Still at large. According to the Yemen Times (11 December), he was living in the UAE and used to visit Aden, although he disappeared four days before the bombing.

Walid al-Sourouri

Policeman from Lahej. Provided false identification and other documents for the suicide bombers, but may not have been aware of the plot.

Fatha Abdul Rahman

Policeman from Lahej. Provided false identification and other documents for the suicide bombers, but may not have been aware of the plot.

Yasser al-Azzani

Knew the bombers and gave them lunch at his home in Aden on the day before the attack, but it is unclear how much he knew of their plans.

Jamal Ba Khorsh

Apparently recruited to videotape the attack, but failed to do so.

Ahmad al-Shinni

No details given.

Raed Hijazi

Former Boston taxi driver - American citizen of Palestinian origin. Was handed over from Syria to Jordan, where he had been sentenced to death in his absence. US authorities reportedly want to extradite him for trial in the US in connection with the Cole bombing.

Tawfiq Atash

A Saudi of Yemeni descent. Arrested in Yemen in 1996 on suspicion of having Bin Laden connections but later released. Met Khalid al-Midhar, the Pentagon hijacker, in Malaysia in January 2000. Alleged to have brought a letter from Bin Laden out of Afghanistan discussing an attack on American ships off the coast of Aden.

Abd al-Muhsinal-Taifi

Believed to be one of the two suicide bombers. Yemeni national, possibly with Saudi connections. Was wanted for questioning about the 1998 bombing of the American embassy in Nairobi.

Hassan Said Awadh Khemeri

Believed to be the second suicide bomber. Yemeni national, alleged to have trained in Afghanistan. He had been arrested in 1999 (but later released) in connection with a plot to kidnap Americans working at a Baptist hospital in Jiblah. The kidnap was apparently aimed at securing the release of Abu al-Hassan al-Mihdar, leader of the Islamic Army.