A judge in Yemen sentenced six al Qaeda terrorists to death and sent 10 others to prison for up to 15 years, the state-run Saba news agency reported.
The ring, known as the Tarim cell, belonged to the Yemen wing of the al Qaeda terrorist organization, the agency said. The group, which included four Syrians and a Saudi, had been convicted of bombing oil and military facilities and foreign diplomatic missions, including the U.S. and Italian embassies, Saba reported. The Tarim cell also killed tourists in 2007 and 2008 and attacked a residential area where Westerners live. Ring members were arrested in 2008. The convicted men shouted at the judge when he passed down the sentences Monday, with one man threatening that al Qaeda wings in Yemen would kill the magistrate, Saba said. The court also confiscated several items from the terrorists, including a domestic-made missile launcher, rocket-propelled grenades, chemical substances, ammunition, 12 plastic bags containing explosives, and forged passports and identification documents, Saba said. Security around foreign missions in Yemen was tightened as a precaution against possible terrorist attacks.
