Military

DATE=2/13/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-286427

TITLE=YEMEN / AL-QAIDA (L)

BYLINE=GREG LAMOTTE

DATELINE=

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: A Yemeni man, suspected of belonging to the terrorist group al-Qaida, was killed Wednesday night when he tried to throw a hand-grenade at police who had chased him into a residential neighborhood in Yemen's capital, San'a. V-O-A's Greg LaMotte reports Yemeni authorities say an investigation determined the man was an active member of al-Qaida.

TEXT: Yemeni security forces say they had been watching 25-year-old Sameer Mohammed Ahmed al-Hada for some time when they attempted to pull him over for questioning Wednesday evening. Authorities say the suspected member of the terrorist group al-Qaida threatened police with a hand grenade when it blew up killing Hada instantly. No police were injured.

Hada's name does not appear on a U-S produced list of Yemenis believed to be suspected al-Qaida terrorist group members but authorities say he was in possession of several different identification cards at the time of his death.

According to the police the lease for Hada's rented home had ended and his landlord asked him for documents to renew the contract. When Hada failed to do so the landlord contacted police.

Police say their inquiries turned up information indicating Hada was an active member of al-Qaida in Yemen and that he had also been to Afghanistan. Authorities said he had quote, "visited Afghanistan, where he trained to carry out acts of terrorism" and was suspected of carrying out acts of terrorism.

Al-Qaida is the terrorist group led by Osama Bin Laden, the prime suspect in the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States. Osama Bin Laden's father was born in Yemen.

Yemeni police had been on a heightened state of alert since Monday when the Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a public warning of a possible terrorist attack in Yemen against U-S interests there. The FBI said its warning was based on intelligence gathered in Afghanistan and interviews of Taleban or al-Qaida detainees transferred to the U-S naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The F-B-I identified 17 men it believed to be involved in plans to carry out an attack.

Following the September 11th attacks in the United States Yemen began a crackdown on outlaws and suspected members of the al-Qaida network in an apparent effort to avoid being targeted by U-S military strikes.

Yemen's government has admitted there may be al-Qaida suspects in the country but says the network has no military training camps or any other organized presence in Yemen.

The Yemeni government says it is committed to joining the U-S led war on terrorism but says it cannot be done without U-S training, military assistance and aid.

Last week President Bush asked congress for two-million dollars in military aid earmarked for Yemen.

Greg LaMotte VOA news Cairo

NEB/GL/RH