Elbaneh Not Very Guilty: al-Alimi
Elbaneh was convicted in a Yemeni court and his appearances in court over the last few months relate to the appeal process. So is the Interior Minister saying Elbaneh was framed? I would believe that.
Washington Post He resurfaced nearly three months ago, on Feb. 23, when he walked unannounced into a cramped Sanaa courtroom, escorted by four bodyguards.
Interrupting a trial of other al-Qaeda suspects, he told the judge his name and declared that all charges against him were bogus. “I haven’t committed any crimes in this country or in the United States,” he said.
He dropped another bombshell by saying he had personally surrendered to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and was under his protection. Then he walked out of the courtroom. Stunned court officials did nothing.
U.S. officials objected and renewed demands for his extradition to face trial in Buffalo. Yemen has refused, and senior officials in Sanaa have downplayed the seriousness of the U.S. charges.
Although Elbaneh faces charges in Yemen for his alleged involvement in attacks on foreign oil workers and in another plot, Interior Minister Rashad al-Alimi said the case against him was weak. Alimi said that Elbaneh was cooperating in other investigations and that the government was inclined to treat him leniently.
“One of our tactics is if these terrorist suspects have no blood on their hands and if they are moving in the right direction, let’s help him move in that direction,” Alimi said. “Long imprisonment sometimes makes people angry and makes them vicious, so that they want revenge. That’s their nature — Yemenis are like that.”
Abdel-Karim al-Iryani, a former prime minister and adviser to Saleh, confirmed that Elbaneh had surrendered to the Yemeni president in exchange for a guarantee of protection.
“It’s a very traditional thing in Yemen,” Iryani said. “You surrender yourself to a high-ranking official. His surrender was accepted on the basis that he would cooperate.”
Meanwhile, Elbaneh is allowed to remain free as long as he promises to appear in court when summoned.
