Yemen Says No Extradition of Cole Suspects

W A S H I N G T O N, Dec. 10 -- Yemeni President AliAbdullah Saleh said his country would not extradite anysuspects in the October bombing of a U.S. warship in Aden,which killed 17 American sailors, the Washington Post reportedtoday.

“(Extradition of suspects) is not allowed under ourconstitution,” Saleh told the newspaper in an interview, whichthe Post said took place earlier this week.

Next month, Yemen plans to try six suspects in the case, inwhich the USS Cole, a destroyer, was attacked in Aden in anapparent suicide bombing.

Saleh said Yemeni authorities were still looking for a keysuspect in the Cole incident.

“We are looking for the man who gave instructions to thetwo people who executed the operation. His name is MuhammedOmar al-Harazi,” he said, referring to the man whose name as asuspect was revealed in a Yemeni government newspaper earlierthis week.

“He’s the main suspect who funded the operation and paidfor the safe houses in Aden. He’s the mastermind but we believesomeone else was behind him,” Saleh added.

Bin Laden Denies Involvement

The president would not speculate on whether Saudi exileOsama bin Laden was connected to the Cole attack, although hesaid “everything is possible.”

Bin Laden, whom the United States accuses of mastermindingattacks on two U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998, has deniedinvolvement in the Cole bombing.

“We can’t confirm that bin Laden is behind it. We are stillsaying it might be Israel or a regional intelligence agency —those who are trying to spoil the U.S.-Yemeni relationship. ...Israel is possible, bin Laden as well,” he said.

The Oct. 12 bombing took place amid growing anti-U.S.sentiment in the Middle East over what Arabs see as U.S.support for Israel in the current Israeli-Palestinianconflict.

Yemeni officials have said the six suspects who are to betried include civil servants who allegedly provided othersuspects with forged documents. But Saleh denied thathigh-level government officials were connected.