Six accused of bomb attack on US destroyer

A Yemeni security court today charged six Yemenis in the planning of the bombing of a US destroyer in October 2000 and said they belonged to Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network, opening the first trial in the Cole case.

Seventeen American sailors were killed when two suicide bombers in an explosives-laden boat rammed the USS Cole as it refuelled in the southern port city of Aden. The bombing was blamed on bin Laden’s al-Qaida terror network.

Among the six charged in San’a today was alleged mastermind Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who is in US custody. The other five were in court.

Al-Nashiri was accused of planning and funding the attack and training the cell members who carried it out.

The United States announced al-Nashiri’s arrest in November, 2002, saying he had been detained in an undisclosed country and transferred to American custody. Western diplomats later identified the country as the United Arab Emirates.

US officials believe the Saudi-born al-Nashiri is a close associate of bin Laden. In addition to the Cole attack, he is suspected of helping direct the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

US officials say al-Nashiri gave telephone orders to the Cole bombers from the Emirates.

The defendants at today’s trial refused to plead and asked for lawyers. The judge scheduled a new hearing for July 14, saying lawyers should be appointed in the meantime for Jamal al-Badawi, Maamoun Msouh, Fahid al-Qasa, Ali Mohamed Saleh and Mourad al-Sirouri.