The Spin Continues
The Yemen Observer is owned by President Saleh’s press secretary, Faris Sanabani. This latest official version of the ever evolving story does not take into account that his relatives said they visited him at home and, according the the AP, other witnesses saw him in Aden.
ADEN – UPDATED: More that one security official at Aden Central Prison confirmed to the Yemen Observer that Jamal al-Badawi is in prison. The Yemen Observer’s Aden correspondent is on the ground attempting to gain access to the imprisoned al-Badawi for a brief statement. More updates will follow.
Jamal al-Badawi, a high-profile Al-Qaeda leader in Yemen, is in police custody, contrary to widespread media reports. Al-Badawi surrendered himself to authorities two weeks ago, according to a senior security official at the Yemeni Ministry of Interior.
The rumor that al-Badawi had been released and was being kept under effective house arrest after pledging allegiance to the authorities was denied by security officials in Yemen. A senior security official at the Ministry of Interior told Yemen Observer that al-Badawi had not been set free, nor was the sentence against him dropped as has been reported by US media.
Regarding the following International Herald Tribune article, first of all, the escape was in February 2006, but second of all, hasn’t the MSM figured out that “re-arrested” means “released” in Yemen? None of them are in jail.
IHT: Al-Badawi and 22 others, mostly al-Qaida fighters, escaped from prison in 2004. Only four are still at large while the others were either killed or re-arrested. He with nine other suspects of the Cole attack had escaped prison in April 2003, but was re-arrested.
