The Sana’a Specialized Penal Appeal Court which handles terror cases upheld on Saturday the verdict against seven Al-Qaeda members receiving up to 5-10 years in prison. Two of them were sentenced to ten years and two others to seven years in jail.
During the hearing chaired by Judge Muhammad Al-Hakimi, the court reduced the sentences of two convicts: one from ten years to seven years and the other from seven to five years.
The seven were convicted in January 2010 of forming a terrorist group to carry out attacks against tourists and Yemeni and foreign interests.
Three were given ten-year sentences, three others given seven-year terms and the seventh was sentenced to five years in jail.
Hearing the court upholding the verdict, the group shouted Allah is the greatest and vowed to attack the U.S. and Arab presidents.
One of them said:” our message to Obama is that we swear to Allah ‘we will not let you and Arab leaders.” We will continue Jihad, Hussein Al-Marwala said.
They were arrested in October 2009 while preparing explosives and watching tourist buses to attack them, and their trial opened in October 17.
In recent years, Yemen has launched an unabated war against and a massive hunt for militants across the republic. Many suspects were killed, wounded and arrested. It also dismantled many terrorist cells.
Some of the arrested went on trial receiving death and jail sentences.