[02/July/2009]
SANA'A, July 02 (Saba)- Interior Minister Mutahr al-Masri has said that terrorist attacks carried out in Yemen during the last period were mostly organized by al-Qaeda.

"The security services pursue the criminals for investigating with them and then bring them to justice to get legal punishments", said al-Masri.

Answering some questions of parliamentarians during a session of the Parliament held in Sana'a last Wednesday, the Yemeni official said that he would provide all information on anti-government riots, sit-ins and protests which took place in some cities of Yemen to a committee of the parliament in order to take into its reports.

"Some of the riots which happened in the southern provinces of the country have included 300 non-security checkpoints and 500 non-licensed protests", said the Minister, pointing out that those events had caused the killing of a number of soldiers and citizens and injuring others.

Yemen has witnessed a number of terrorist attacks claimed by the al-Qaeda in recent years against foreign missions, tourist sites and oil installations.

The Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda has carried out a number of terrorist attacks over the past year, culminating in the assault on the American Embassy in Sana on 16 September.

Yemen began cooperating with the United States on counterterrorism activities in late 2001.

SA/YA

Saba