Mr. al-‘Alimi goes to San’a

News Yemen has the round-up of Deputy Prime Minister for Defense and Security Affairs, Rashad al-‘Alimi, appearance before parliament.

(He was only one day late – but to be fair it is hard to find the building it is not like it is in the center of San’a near Midan Tahrir – oh, I don’t know, maybe I’m a bit too hard on him – he refused to take a meeting with me last time I was in San’a – or maybe he just took a look at the crowds on 26th of September street and said: ‘I’ll try again tomorrow.’ I know I have often wanted to do that.)

Nevertheless he showed up and answered questions, or at least talked. Here is what he said:

1. The cell in Arhab was looking to attack the British Embassy (I assume its new bunkered down location) and some schools.

2. There were eight individuals in this cell in the final stages of preparing suicide attacks (not the four earlier reported.)

3. The Arhab raid resulted in 3 dead, 1 wounded and 7 arrested while two – Qasim al-Raymi and Hizam Mujali escaped. (No mention of a third foreign Arab that earlier reports also said escaped.)

4. In the Abyan raid 24 AQ suspects were killed including Saudis, two Pakistanis and some Egyptians as well as five foreigners that have yet to be identified.

5. Some civilians were killed, which is regrettable. (These, he suggests, were family members of AQ suspects and were living in what he calls the military camp and providing services to the AQ members.) There is an investigation into the deaths of civilians.

6. The raid in San’a resulted in the arrest of 14 individuals who were providing support to the cell in Arhab.