Armies of Liberation

(update: I have been requested to explain who Hittar is. Hittar the dueling Koranic verses judge who dialogs with the AQ to rehabilitate them out of their evil ways so the Yemnei govt can release them. When I was on al-Jazeera, I mentioned that Bin Laden’s body guard had said to the BBC that the dialog program was a sham and just a way to expedite their releases and all they have to promise is not to attack inside Yemen. So when Hittar was in DC in Dec, he invited me to the Yemeni embassy to discuss issues of shared concern with me, but unfortunately, I couldn’t make arrangements for my kids, so I declined. Just to make a point, rehabilitation and integration is an important issue. And I was hoping to hear Hittar’s explanation of the program, but unfortunately he did not answer when I requested that he email me any information he thought I was lacking. )

Maybe he’ll email me finally and we can discuss it.

(Update: Oddly enough, after I posted this I heard from the embassy that Judge Hittar welcomes my questions. So Im happy for that. Its an important issue and I’d like to hear his view.)

Also 200 family members arrested. And sounds of digging were reported earlier:

NY In the wake of the escape of 23 al-Qaeda prisoners from the prison of the Yemen Political Security Organization, security forces here launched a large-scale arrest campaign that included round 200 persons from relatives of the escapees. Security forces arrest campaign is part of investigation in the escape incident which the U.S. State Department described as “a disappointing development”, emphasizing that America would work with Yemeni officials and its international partners in the manhunt of those dangerous terrorists.
Head of the specialized punitive prosecution Saeed al-Aqil is undertaking interrogation with the detainees after he has listened to testimonies of chief of the Political Security Ghalib al-Qamash and deputy of the Political Security Organization Rajih Hunaish and Imam of the mosque Riyadh al-Ghaili whom the security arrested him for three days. He as also listened to testimony of Judge Hamoud al-Hattar, chairman of the Ideological Dialogue with those accused of extremism, who is also preacher of the same mosque.
Eyewitnesses have told NewsYemen that the escape operation was carried out through a small tunnel dug from inside their cell in the Security prison ending up to bathrooms in the women mosque, part of Al-Awqaf mosque to the south of the wall of Political Security building. NewsYemen also learnt that the prisoner running away was discovered by the person who is used to clean those bathrooms of the mosque on Fridays. He had found out a hole inside one of the bathrooms and reported that to the Imam of the mosque who in turn informed the security. At that time he did not know that the hole was used for the escape of prisoners, some of whom were sentenced to death for explosion of the American warship Cole and the French super oil tanker Limburg.
According to sources specially informing NewsYemen, reports on gathering evidence have indicated preliminary estimates that digging inside a big prison cell, where 23 prisoners were held, to the mosque bathrooms took them about two months, adding that the prisoners had more than two months before attacked an officer and soldier from the Political Security when they tried to enter their prison ward. The officer and he soldier wanted to calm down the prisoners chanting of slogans resounding in the prison divisions. It seemed those chanting of slogans were used as a cover to distract attention from digging operation. Unverified information mentioned that the fugitives left behind a letter threatening with future operations to release the remaining prisoners. According to investigation sources, there were previous reports received by the prison’s outside guards pointing out to hearing sounds of digging at unknown places and intermittent times.
The southern wall of the Political Security building is about 40 meters away from the prison ward where the tunnel was dug. There is a 12-meter dead-end street separating between the woman mosque and the southern wall. The dead-end street is under an around the clock watch of security soldiers. The tunnel is about 60 meters long and 4 meters deep would only allow creeping inside it.
NewsYemen has also learned that some political security members have expressed to investigators their anger for holding the responsibility of protecting convicted prisoners despite that their establishment is for investigation rather than a punitive one. The prosecution has earlier refused a request by judiciary for transferring Al-Rabeeie, Al-Badawi and other convicted to the Central Prison. Members of political security have said if the convicted prisoners were transferred to a general prison they would have been watched easily.
Higher leaderships are expected to visit the building of the Political Security. A source at the American embassy in Sana’a who refused to identify himself, told NewsYemen that the US embassy may issue a press release on the incident if it found that necessary. Immediately after announcement of the 23 al-Qaeda operatives’ escape last Friday, the American embassy warned its citizens outside Yemen against unnecessary travel to Yemen and stressed on those inside Yemen to be very careful. The sources confirmed they have no information on certain threats against the Americans and preferred not to talk about the escape operation and would wait for official explanations.
American FBI said it was closely following up the situation after the escape of the 23 most dangerous al-Qaeda operatives from the Political Security prison in Yemen. The special investigator Richard Kolco said in Washington that while they were closely watching the situation, they would work with their local and international partners to hunt down those dangerous terrorists. Meanwhile the Interpol issued an urgent warning indicating that the fugitives posed a danger to various countries. In response to the Interpol warning the Yemeni interior ministry distributed picture of the escapees.