DUE TO TIES WITH AL-QAEDA, AL-AWLAQI WANTED IN YEMEN

SANA'A, April 15 (Saba) - The US-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi is wanted by the Yemeni security authorities on the charge of ties with al-Qaeda, a security source said on Thursday.

The source told the state-run weekly 26septmber that al-Awlaqi is accused of its links with a number of people involved in terrorist acts and inciting terrorism as well.

Al-Awlaqi is currently hunting by security authorities the source added.

Speaking on adding al-Awlaqi's name in the list of the US wanted people, the source said that Yemen, in case receiving evidences from the USA convicting al-Awlaqi, will deal with him according to the Yemeni constitution and laws.

The source said that al-Awlaqi was one of those, who have been targeted by the Yemeni air strike on al-Qaeda operatives in Shabwa province in December 24, 2009. However, he was not with the targeted group as it was proven later.

Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi has said that the only way for al-Awlaqi to defend himself is to be surrendered to the Yemeni authorities.

Al-Awlaqi will not be extradited to the US if he surrenders to the Yemeni authorities, al-Qirbi said two days ago in an interview with the Doha-based Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel.

The US authorities have claimed that al-Awlaqi had contacts with Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who was accused of attempting to blow up a US plane last year, and U.S. Army major Nidal Malik Hasan, who killed 13 Americans in a US military base in Texas.

The details and evidence obtained by the US intelligence agencies about al-Awlaqi's links with Nidal Malik and Umar Abdulmutallab were not sent to the Yemeni government", he said.

Al-Qirbi accentuated that Yemen pursues al-Qaeda elements in the country due to the security threat these pose to Yemen, confirming that the government has not failed to confront them because they threaten security and stability in the country and its economic interests.

Yemen has declared it will continue to hunt for terrorist elements and will not allow any frivolous to harm the country's security and stability.

In addition, it has reinforced security measures to crackdown on alleged hideouts of al-Qaeda in the country since December 2009. Yemen's war against al-Qaeda has resulted in killing many leaders of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

AF/AF