Yemen put bombers of sporting facilities on trial

Before the Gulf 20 football cup on November 22-December 5.
By Nasser Arrabyee/24/10/2010

Five Yemenis accused of bombing sporting facilities ahead of Gulf football cup were put on a speedy trial on Sunday.

In the first hearing held in the southern city of Aden, the five men were accused of bombing Al Wahada club earlier this month and trying to bomb many other places in Aden in an attempt to foil the coming regional football championship in Aden and Abyan.

The court adjourned the hearing to Wednesday 27th of October after the defendants refused the court-appointed lawyers and asked for their lawyers.
Four people were killed and 23 others injured in two successive bombings in Al Wahda sporting club in Aden on October 11th, 2010.

The Gulf 20, which include the six Gulf states and Iraq and Yemen, will be held in Yemen late next month.

Meanwhile, the Yemen official news agency said Sunday that official invitations were sent to the Gulf States officials to attend the opening of the championship.
The Yemeni Minister of Youth and Sports, Hamoud Ubad headed on to Qatar's capital Doha for a trip that will include the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Head of the Yemeni Football Association Ahmed al Eisi , who is accompanying the minister, said the delegation will hand invitations to Sports Ministers and Football Associations heads in the Arabian Gulf States to attend the opening of the 20th Gulf Cup in Yemen's business capital Aden in late November.

He affirmed all stadiums and facilities are ready for the championship, and that the trip aims to remove all doubts about the possibility of holding and hosting the championship on November 22 to December 5 in Aden and Abyan.