2006 Sanaa prison escape

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2006 Sanaa prison escape
Part of the al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
Tunnel used by al-Qaeda militants in their escape from a Yemeni prison.jpg
Tunnel dug by the fugitives for their escape. The arrows in the image point to various tools used in digging the tunnel.
Date3 February 2006 (2006-02-03)
Time4:30 (AST)
Location Haddah, Sanaa, Yemen
Escaped prisoners23

On 3 February 2006, a group of 23 convicts escaped from a prison administered by the Political Security Organization (PSO) in Sanaa, Yemen. The prisoners had spent two months digging a 44-meter long tunnel from their cell, which they had all shared, using makeshift tools such as spoons and cooking pots. They escaped through the tunnel into the women's bathroom of a nearby mosque, where they recited prayers and left through the front doors. Among the escapees included several militants affiliated with al-Qaeda and its local organization in Yemen, most notably Jamal al-Badawi, a mastermind of the USS Cole bombing, Fawaz al-Rabeiee, the leader of a militant cell responsible for the MV Limburg bombing, and Jaber Elbanah, a US citizen associated with the Lackawanna Six.

The escape was a major embarrassment for the Yemeni government and strained its counterterrorism-focused relations with the United States. Several commentators and officials suspected that members of the PSO may have facilitated the escape. An investigation launched by the Yemeni Interior Ministry concluded that the prison guards did not take sufficient precautions to prevent the escape, with 12 officers being tried and found guilty of gross negligence. Yemeni authorities and security forces launched an intense manhunt for the 23 fugitives, with all but six of them remaining free by late 2007. Retrospectively, the escape has been seen by commentators and analysts as the catalyst for the revival of al-Qaeda's presence in Yemen. Two of the escapees, Nasir al-Wuhayshi and Qasim al-Raymi, would go on to serve as leaders of al-Qaeda in Yemen and its successor organization, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Context

Al-Qaeda in Yemen was effectively eliminated as a threat by late 2003. [1] The killing of leader Abu Ali al-Harithi in 2002 along with the arrest of his successor Muhammad al-Ahdal the following year devastated the organization's infrastructure. [2] A crackdown on the rest of the group's membership and local Islamists generally preferring to travel to Iraq to participate in the insurgency against US forces left al-Qaeda in Yemen mostly dormant. [3]

With al-Qaeda relatively contained the Yemeni government shifted its focus elsewhere, primarily to the Houthi war in Saada Governorate, which began in June 2004. [4] President Ali Abdullah Saleh viewed the Houthis as a legitimate threat to his power rather than al-Qaeda, which was seen primarily as an issue for the West. [5] Simultaneously, the United States also perceived al-Qaeda to be neutralized in the country, and began shifting its foreign policy to pressuring Saleh into undertaking political reform and removal of corruption. Counterterrorism-focused ambassador Edmund Hull left the country in mid-2004. [4]

Escape

All 23 fugitives were kept in a single cell part of a below-surface prison underneath the PSO headquarters in Sanaa. [6] The escape was likely inspired by the foiled tunnel escape in Camp Bucca, Iraq, the previous year. The plan could have initially came from an escapee from Iraq who had described the attempt in Camp Bucca to the rest of the fugitives, or by a colluding visitor who had read about it on the internet. [7]

Initial estimates reported that the tunnel may have taken approximately two months to have complete. [8] [9] Several improvised tools were used to dig the tunnel, such as soccer balls, shovels made from fan parts and spoons attached to broomsticks, and a u-shaped scoop made from three cookings pots attached to each other. [7] [10] Authorities found four soccer balls with plastic tubing attached to them, producing a device which allowed the inmates to breathe below surface while they were digging. Dirt from the tunnel was removed using two buckets and a rope, and was hidden in various parts of the cell, such as under clothing piles and in the bathrooms, one of which was filled to its ceiling. [11] [7]

The prisoners kicked a soccer ball in their cell and recited loud chants as they were digging in order to mask the sound of their work. [8] [10] In one instance, the prisoners attacked an officer and soldier who attempted to enter their ward in order to quell the chants. [8] The tunnel itself was 60 by 80 centimeters wide, [12] 44 meters-long, almost a third being within prison grounds, [13] and went down 3 meters below the cell's surface. [7] [8] The southern wall of the prison, the direction in which the tunnel was dug, was 40 meters away from the cell of the prisoners. A 12-meter dead-end street then separated the wall with the al-Awkaf Mosque. Several guards outside the prison reported sounds of digging at different places and times, though their reports were not investigated any further. [8]

On 3 February, at around 4:30  AST, the escapees each crawled through the tunnel and breached the floor of the women's bathroom of the mosque, the least frequented part of the building as most Muslim women pray at home. [10] [14] They proceeded to recite morning prayers in the mosque and then left through the front doors among the attendants. [15] The hole in the bathroom was eventually discovered by the mosque's janitor. [16] He informed the imam who later notified authorities, who had realized the escape by the next day. [14] [16]

Escapees

The Ministry of Interior distributed a list containing the identities for 22 of the 23 escaped convicts on 3 February. [17] The Jamestown Foundation identifies the 23 fugitives as: [18] [19]

Investigation

Officials from the MInistry of Interior conducted an emergency meeting shortly after the escape. On 4 February it was announced that an investigation led by the Interior Minister was underway to determine if the fugitives had received any internal or external assistance. [17] [34] The investigation was being headed by the National Security Bureau, the PSO's rival intelligence organization. [10] [35]

Officials maintaining the prison were reshuffled by authorities as the chief and his deputy were both dismissed. [36] PSO officers and soldiers were being investigated on the grounds that the prisoners could not have determined the direction and angle at which the tunnel was dug to the mosque without support from highly qualified individuals. [35] A report on the investigation ran by a pro-government newspaper said that the prison guards did not take adequate steps to ensure that an escape would not occur. Outside co-conspirators were also found to have "helped in moving and hiding the escapees", according to an official. [37] Five PSO majors and two prison guards were taken in for interrogation on 10 February on suspicions that they gave tools and information to the prisoners to assist their escape. [38] [39]

Over 80 people were detained for the investigation, including prison officers, relatives of the escaped convicts and individuals affiliated with Islamist organizations. [40] On 15 February, an official stated that 135 people had been arrested and interrogated on the grounds that they may have information on the location of the fugitives. Authorities received "important information" from the detainees, who were taken in police searches of suspected places and houses of relatives of the fugitives. [41] An American request to interrogate the detainees was rejected by Yemeni authorities on the grounds that it was a breach of their national sovereignty. [12]

On 21 February, the investigative committee published its official report on the escape, charging several prison officials with gross negligence allowing the jailbreak to happen. [11] On 27 April, officials confirmed that the suspects would be put on trial after the investigation was complete. They also stated that the individuals would be tried in a military court. [42] On 25 May, attorney general Abdullah al-Olufi reported that a military court had put 12 intelligence officers on trial, charging them with negligence resulting in the escape. [43] Four of them were found guilty of direct involvement in the escape, while the rest were convicted of charges relating to negligence. [44] On 12 July, the officers were bestowed sentences between eight months to three years of imprisonment. [45] All of them were discharged from the PSO, though they retained their pensions and remuneration. [44]

Reactions

The escape has been described as a major embarrassment for the Yemeni government, [14] [46] and a significant blow to its campaign against al-Qaeda. [47] The US ambassador to Yemen, Thomas C. Krajeski, called it a major setback in the counterterrorism partnership between the two nations. [48] Retrospectively, the event is seen as the beginning of a period of mistrust in relations between Yemen and the US. [49] US officials were particularly angered with the fact that Badawi was among the escapees, as he was involved in an attack on a US Navy warship and had had escaped from prison once before. [50] [51] Shortly after the escape, State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack emphasized to the Yemeni government the importance of capturing the fugitives and offered assistance if requested. [52] Speaking at a press conference on 9 February, Homeland Security Advisor Frances Townsend said:

I find the developments in Yemen not only deeply disappointing, but of enormous concern to us, especially given the capabilities and the expertise of the people who were there. We are disappointed that they were all housed together. We are disappointed that their restrictions in prison weren't more stringent. We have spoken with our colleagues in Yemen through our ambassador and expressed this to them and asked them for the strongest and most transparent cooperation so that we can help them. [53]

Several former US officials alleged that the escape was facilitated in some way by elements within the Yemeni government. [34] [51] [54] Suspicion fell particularly on the PSO due to its history of unreliability [51] as well as the fact that it had assisted hundreds of Yemenis in joining the Afghan mujahideen and absorbed many former jihadists after the Soviet–Afghan War, potentially compromising it with internal al-Qaeda sympathizers. [34] [46] An anonymous US official described to Newsweek a cable from the US embassy in Sanaa which mentioned "the lack of obvious security measures on the streets" and deduced that "PSO insiders must have been involved." [10] A European counterterrorism official called the escape "impossible ... without any involvement of prisons guards, prison administration, etc." [54]

Aftermath

Security checkpoints were established across Sanaa shortly after the escape in an attempt to apprehend the fugitives before they could flee the area. Regardless, most of the escapees had successfully fled into the mountainous, tribal-dominated southern and eastern areas of Yemen, where they were out of the government's oversight and could receive protection from the local tribes. [55] [56] The Yemeni government launched searches primarily in Abyan Governorate, as well as in Sanaa and several other areas in the country perceived as Islamist strongholds. [14] Authorities distributed photos and information on the suspects to multiple cities, villages and districts in all Yemeni governorates. [57] The Ministry of Interior offered a reward of YER 5 million in exchange for information on the escapees, and created an anonymous phone line for those who wanted to provide tip-offs. Yemeni television also aired the mugshots of the 23 escapees. [12]

On 5 February, Interpol issued a global security alert for the escapees, calling them a "clear and present danger to all countries" and urging the Yemeni government to provide the names, photos and fingerprints of the individuals. [58] The organization later stated that it had not issued the highest level notice possible as it was yet to receive fingerprints and arrest warrants for the fugitives from the Yemeni government. [54]

The US Navy issued a statement on 9 February reporting that its ships, as part of the Dutch-led multinational Combined Task Force 150, were "monitoring international waters along the coast of Yemen in an attempt to either block possible maritime escape routes or capture the suspected terrorists if they make this attempt." [59] On 23 February, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) added Badawi and Elbanah to its Most Wanted Terrorists list, while Abdullah al-Raymi was included in the Seeking Information – Terrorism list. [60] [61]

After the escape, a split eventually materialized between the older and younger generations of the escapees. The older generation managed to reach agreements with the Yemeni government allowing them freedom if they agreed not to conduct any attacks within the country. [15] This was the case with the capture of Badawi in October 2007. Badawi pledged loyalty to the Yemeni President and agreed to assist in locating five of the other escapees in return for being freed from captivity. [62] On the other hand, the younger generation rejected negotiations with the government and continued fighting against it and evading captivity. [15] [62] By late 2007, six of the 23 fugitives were dead (one being killed in Somalia after turning himself in and being released), 11 were in the custody of authorities and 6 were free, including Badawi. [18] [19] By 2010, only four escapees, Umda, Wuhayshi, Badawi and Qasim al-Raymi, were still free. [63] They would eventually be killed by US drone strikes in 2012, [64] 2015, [65] 2019 [66] and 2020, [67] respectively.

Timeline of escapee capture or death
NameCapture or deathDate
Zakariya Ubadi Qasim al-YafaiCaptured by authorities in a raid in Sanaa [68] 17 April 2006
Khaled Mohammed al-BatatiTurned himself in to authorities [69] 21 or 22 April 2006
Fawzi Mohammed al-WajayhiTurned himself in to authorities [70] [71] Before 27 April 2006
Ibrahim Mohammed al-MuqriSurrendered to authorities [70] Before 27 April 2006
Abdullah Ahmad al-Raymi Captured by authorities in Marib Governorate [72] 12 May 2006
Aref Saleh MujaliSurrendered to authorities after tribal mediation [73] [74] 29 August 2006
Hizam Saleh MujaliSurrendered to authorities alongside Aref Saleh Mujali after tribal mediation [73] [74] 29 August 2006
Shafiq Ahmad ZaydKilled himself as part of an al-Qaeda suicide attack [18] [75] 15 September 2006
Umar Saeed JarallahKilled himself as part of an al-Qaeda suicide attack [18] 15 September 2006
Fawaz al-Rabeiee Killed by security forces in a raid in Sanaa [76] 1 October 2006
Muhammad al-DaylamiKilled alongside Fawaz al-Rabeiee [76] 1 October 2006
Mansur Nasser al-Bayhani Turned himself in to authorities [19] Late 2006
Zakariya Hasan al-BayhaniTurned himself in to authorities alongside Mansur Nasser al-Bayhani [19] Late 2006
Yasser Nasser al-HamayqaniKilled in shootout with police in Abyan Governorate [77] 15 January 2007
Abdulrahman BasurahTurned himself in to authorities [19] [78] May 2007
Jaber Elbaneh Surrendered to authorities [79] 14 May 2007
Jamal al-Badawi Surrendered to authorities [80] 17 October 2007
Abdullah Yahya al-WadaiSurrendered to authorities some time before 24 October 2007 [19] Before 24 October 2007
Ibrahim al-HuwaydiSurrendered to authorities after tribal mediation [81] [82] 23 February 2008
Hamza al-QuaitiKilled in a raid by security forces in Tarim, Hadhramaut Governorate [83] 11 August 2008
Muhammed al-Umda Killed by a US drone strike in Marib Governorate [64] 22 April 2012
Nasir al-Wuhayshi Killed by a US drone strike in Hadhramaut Governorate [65] 12 June 2015
Qasim al-Raymi Killed by a US drone strike in al-Bayda Governorate [84] [67] 29 January 2020

Impact

The escape is widely seen as a turning point in al-Qaeda's insurgency in Yemen, and the origin of its contemporary organization in the country, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. [85] [86] Among the 23 escapees, the US concentrated heavily on the capture of Badawi and Elbanah as they were on the FBI's most wanted list. However, the two who would make the largest impact would be Wuhayshi and Qasim al-Raymi. [4] Wuhayshi, who studied Islam and was a close ally of Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, became a spiritual leader for the fugitives while they were imprisoned, while Raymi lead prayers for the group, gave religious sermons on Fridays, and negotiated with the prison's administration. [50] [87] Wuhayshi, Raymi and the militants who followed them have been referred to as the "second generation" of al-Qaeda in Yemen. [88]

In the aftermath of the escape, Wuhayshi became the leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen, being declared so in an announcement in mid-2007. [5] Along with Raymi, who was appointed as military commander, the two reorganized and rebuild the group throughout 2007 and 2008. [5] [85] [89] Al-Qaeda in Yemen launched increasingly deadlier attacks in the aftermath of the escape, such as pair of suicide attacks on two oil facilities in September 2006, a car bombing in Marib in 2007 and an attack on the US embassy in Sanaa in 2008. [46] [88] Wuhayshi and Raymi would be among the founding members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in January 2009. [4] Under Wuhayshi's leadership from 2009 to 2015, the group would come to be known as al-Qaeda's strongest affiliate, Wuhayshi himself being identified as the second highest-ranking leader of al-Qaeda entirely. [90] After his death from a US drone strike, Raymi succeeded him as leader from 2015 until his own death from a drone strike in 2020. [67]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Profile: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula". Al Jazeera . 9 May 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  2. ↑ "Yemen: Al Qaeda's Resurgence". Stratfor . 22 April 2008. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  3. ↑ "Waning Vigilance: Al-Qaeda's Resurgence in Yemen". The Washington Institute . 14 July 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Johnsen, Gregory D. (27 February 2025). "Ignoring Yemen at Our Peril". Foreign Policy . Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Johnson, Gregory D.; Al-Waq, Waq (7 July 2009). "AL-QAEDA IN YEMEN" (PDF). Carnegie Endowment for International Peace . Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  6. ↑ "Is American Among Yemen Escapees?". CBS News . 9 February 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Schuster, Henry (27 February 2006). "Soccer balls, broomsticks aid Yemen jailbreak". CNN . Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "القصة الكاملة لهروب 23 متهما من القاعدة من سجنهم في اليمن" [The full story of the escape of 23 Al-Qaeda suspects from their prison in Yemen]. Al Arabiya (in Arabic). 11 February 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  9. ↑ Roggio, Bill (8 February 2006). "al Qaeda Jailbreak in Yemen". FDD's Long War Journal . Retrieved 23 February 2025.
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  13. ↑ "Prison Break in Yemen: The Risks of Incarcerating Militants in the Middle East". Stratfor . 4 February 2006. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
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  29. ↑ "احكام بالسجن على ستة متهمين بالانتماء الى القاعدة في اليمن" [Six Al-Qaeda suspects sentenced to prison in Yemen]. Al Bawaba (in Arabic). 8 August 2005. Retrieved 27 February 2025. [...and the Yemeni Abdul Rahman Basra (25 years old), were sentenced to three years and four months in prison. The Yemeni defendant, Khaled Al-Batati (23 years old), was sentenced to three years and two months in prison]
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  32. ↑ "Obituary: Yemen al-Qaeda leader Nasser al-Wuhayshi". BBC News . 16 June 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  33. ↑ Johnsen, Gregory D. (18 March 2008). "Al-Qaeda in Yemen Reorganizes under Nasir al-Wahayshi". The Jamestown Foundation . Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  34. 1 2 3 "Did al Qaeda fugitives get inside help?". CBS News . 6 February 2006. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  35. 1 2 "اعترافات تُوَرِّط عناصر أمنية في الهروب من سجن الاستخبارات باليمن" [Confessions implicate security personnel in escape from intelligence prison in Yemen]. Al Arabiya (in Arabic). 2 March 2006. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
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  41. ↑ "Yemen holding 135 people suspected of al-Qaida prison escape". China Daily . Associated Press. 16 February 2006. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  42. ↑ Al-Hammadi, Khaled (28 April 2006). "اليمن: المحاكمة العسكرية للمتهمين الامنيين بقضية هروب 23 معتقلا من عناصر القاعدة تبدأ قريبا" [Yemen: Military trial of security suspects in the case of the escape of 23 Al-Qaeda detainees begins soon]. Al-Quds Al-Arabi (in Arabic). Retrieved 26 February 2025. [Official sources reported yesterday that the procedures for the trial of security suspects involved in the case of facilitating the escape of 23 Al-Qaeda detainees from the Central Political Security Organization (intelligence) prison in Sana'a have been completed and their military trial will begin soon after they have been investigated. They confirmed that higher directives were issued to refer the defendants to the military judiciary to take over the procedures for their trial on charges of negligence and neglect in performing their security work, which enabled the Al-Qaeda detainees to successfully carry out the escape from the Political Security prison.]
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  44. 1 2 "Military court sentences 12 officers to prison". Yemen Times . 16 July 2006. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  45. ↑ Al-Mahdi, Khaled (15 July 2006). "Yemen Jails 12 Officers Over Prison Break". Arab News . Retrieved 28 February 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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  50. 1 2 Higgins, Michael (9 August 2013). "How a 36-year-old built al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula into a feared terrorist group in just a few short years". National Post . Retrieved 2 March 2025.
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  53. ↑ "Press Briefing on the West Coast Terrorist Plot by Frances Fragos Townsend, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism". George W. Bush White House Archives. 9 February 2006. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  54. 1 2 3 Trevelyan, Mark (10 February 2006). "Jailbreak in Yemen stirs concern abroad". The Boston Globe . Berlin. Reuters. Archived from the original on 21 May 2006. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
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  56. ↑ "USS Cole Attacker Escapes Prison". CBS News . Associated Press. 5 February 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  57. ↑ "استجواب 135 يمنيا على خلفية هروب القاعديين" [135 Yemenis interrogated over Al-Qaeda escape]. Al Jazeera Arabic (in Arabic). 16 February 2006. Retrieved 24 February 2025. [It added that the security forces distributed photos of the escaped detainees with their data to all cities, villages and directorates in all Yemeni governorates.]
  58. ↑ "Global alert for Yemen escapees". BBC News . 5 February 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  59. ↑ "US searches for Yemen fugitives". BBC News . 9 February 2006. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  60. ↑ "Two Prison Escapees In Yemen Wanted by FBI". The Washington Post . 24 February 2006. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  61. ↑ "Recent escapees from Yemen prison added to Most Wanted Terrorists and Seeking Information - War on Terrorism lists". Federal Bureau of Investigation . 23 February 2006. Archived from the original on 11 April 2010. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  62. 1 2 Worth, Robert F. (28 January 2008). "Yemen's Deals With Jihadists Unsettle the U.S." The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 23 January 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  63. ↑ Johnsen, Gregory D. (3 January 2010). "Assessing the Strength of Al-Qa`ida in Yemen". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point . Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  64. 1 2 "Top al Qaeda leader dead in airstrike, Yemen says". CNN . 24 April 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
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  66. ↑ Pengelly, Martin (6 January 2019). "US confirms death of Jamal al-Badawi, al-Qaida militant in USS Cole bombing". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  67. 1 2 3 "US kills Qassim al-Raymi, leader of al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula". France 24 . 7 February 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
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  69. ↑ "Escaped Yemeni al-Qaida convict surrenders". Seattle Post-Intelligencer . Associated Press. 23 April 2006. Archived from the original on 30 April 2006. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
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  73. 1 2 "Two Al-Qaeda escapees surrender". Yemen Times . 30 August 2006. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  74. 1 2 "استسلام فارين من عناصر القاعدة" [Surrender of fugitive Al-Qaeda elements]. Annedaa Newspaper (in Arabic). 30 August 2006. Retrieved 28 February 2025. [According to the sources, Sheikh Hadi Dalqam handed over the brothers Aref and Hazam Majli to the security authorities on Tuesday. The brothers were part of the group that escaped from the Political Security prison in Sana’a last February.]
  75. ↑ "Yemen jails 32 for Al Qaeda oil attacks". ABC News (Australia) . 7 November 2007. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  76. 1 2 "Al-Qaeda fugitive killed in Yemen". Al Jazeera . 1 October 2006. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
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  80. ↑ "Yemen frees a mastermind of USS Cole attack". NBC News . Associated Press. 26 October 2007. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  81. ↑ Al-Jabri, Abdul-Moneim (24 February 2008). "إبراهيم هويدي يسلم نفسه لسلطات الأمن" [Ibrahim Huwaidi surrenders himself to the security authorities]. Al Jazirah . Retrieved 28 February 2025. [In a related context, a fugitive Al-Qaeda member in Yemen surrendered himself to the Yemeni security authorities. Official sources in Sana'a said that Ibrahim Huwaidi, who escaped with a group of Al-Qaeda members from the Political Security (Yemeni Intelligence) prison in 2006, surrendered himself after mediation by tribal figures and a guarantee that his sentence would not be extended.]
  82. ↑ "محاولة تفجير انبوب نفط في صرواح وعضو في القاعدة يسلم نفسه للسلطات" [Attempted bombing of an oil pipeline in Sirwah and an Al-Qaeda member surrenders himself to the authorities]. Al-Wahdawi (in Arabic). 23 February 2008. Retrieved 28 February 2025. [Security sources told "Rai News" that Ibrahim Huwaidi, one of the wanted men, took the initiative to surrender himself after mediation by tribal figures and ensuring that his sentence would not be extended.]
  83. ↑ Al-Mahdi, Khaled (13 August 2008). "Yemen says car-bombing mastermind killed in raid". Arab News . Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  84. ↑ "Unconfirmed reports emerge about death of al-Qaeda's Yemen leader". BBC Monitoring . 31 January 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  85. 1 2 Khan, Azmat (29 May 2012). "Understanding Yemen's Al Qaeda Threat". Frontline . PBS . Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  86. ↑ England, Andrew (29 December 2009). "Origins of group traced to Sana'a jailbreak". Financial Times . Abu Dhabi. Archived from the original on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  87. ↑ Wassef, Khaled (17 June 2015). "AQAP chief Qassem al-Rimi is no lackey to fill in for Nasir al-Wuhayshi, killed in US airstrike". CBS News . London . Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  88. 1 2 Moutot, Michel (15 January 2010). "Al-Qaeda has not abandoned Yemen". The Telegraph . Sanaa. Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on 14 June 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  89. ↑ Erlanger, Steven (3 January 2010). "Yemen's chaos aids evolution of al Qaeda cell". NBC News . The New York Times . Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  90. ↑ Habib, Maria Abi (16 June 2015). "Al Qaeda's Leader in Yemen Killed in U.S. Airstrike". The Wall Street Journal . ISSN   0099-9660. Archived from the original on 16 June 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
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