Terrorist threatens to destroy court and judge after death sentence

By Nasser Arrabyee/18/10/2010

A Yemeni man was sentenced to death Monday after being convicted of participating in seven terrorist operations in Yemen.

Chaired by Judge Muhsen Alwan, the State Security Court handed down the death sentence to Saleh Al Shawash, who is known as Al Qaeda explosives expert.

The defendant Al Shawash, in his 30s, did not for an appeal, but instead, he threatened the court and the Judge.

“ God willing, your end will be at our hands, and we have started from Abyan,” Al Shawas said, speaking to the court panel and the prosecutor. He referred to the ongoing war between Al Qaeda and the Yemeni forces in Abyan.

Al Shawas confessed to participating in seven operations by Al Qaeda against military and security targets in Hudhrmout in which several soldiers were killed and injured.

The court started the trial of Al Shawash on September 21, after he was arrested on January 2010. The defendant confessed to the accusations and asked the judge to issue the verdict in the second session last week.

Al Shawash was within the group of the Al Qaeda leader in Hudhrmout, Hamza Al Kuaiti, who was killed with four other militants in security operation in Tareem city on August 11th, 2008. Al Shawash escaped to Mareb where he stayed in hiding until he was arrested on January 2010 in Hudhmout when he was trying to implement a suicide bombing, as the security sources said at the time.

The prosecutor said during the hearings that Al Shawash was Al Qaeda expert in explosives, and he was training the suicide bombers.