[New York Sun] Eli Lake - In the wake of a terrorist attack on the American Embassy in Yemen, Ali Soufan, a retired FBI agent who investigated the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, is urging America to hold the Yemeni government accountable for letting jihadists out of prison. Islamic Jihad in Yemen claimed responsibility for the embassy attack, and Yemeni authorities arrested 25 suspects who they said were affiliated with al-Qaeda. Islamic Jihad in Yemen is believed to be a spin-off of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the organization that has effectively merged with al-Qaeda and was founded by bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri. Wednesday's attack in Sana'a killed 17 people, among them Susan Elbaneh, 18, from Lackawanna, N.Y., who was in Yemen to be married. Her family said she was a relative of Jaber Elbaneh, one of the FBI's most wanted terrorism suspects. The New York Sun reported Thursday that American intelligence officials believe the Yemeni governorates that border Saudi Arabia have emerged as a safe haven for al-Qaeda.
2008-09-19 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive