Yemeni court to rule on attack plot case on February 11

Sanaa: A Yemeni appeal court set February 11 for issuing a verdict on eight men including five Yemenis accused of plotting terrorist acts against Western interests in Yemen and abroad.

The defendants, who presented the final arguments on their own, pleaded not guilty and demanded to be released soon.

"This is the last time we can speak to your honour, judge, so we entreat you to reconsider the verdict against us," one of the eight men told the court's panel chaired by Judge Saeed Al Qata'a.

"It's now two and a half years since we were put in prison. I think it's enough," he said. "The prosecution made up accusations against us and we had nothing to do with those accusations."

The defendant Anwar Al Jilani, who is described as the leader of the gang, accused the prosecutor of being malicious.

"Yes, I'm really malicious but only to those who are malicious to Yemen," prosecutor Saeed Al Akel replied.

On August 8, the court sentenced six of the eight men to jail terms for plotting terrorist acts in Yemen and abroad, including the blowing up of the British and Italian missions and the French Cultural Centre in Sanaa.

The court acquitted two others in the eight-member group but they are not released yet.

The writer is a journalist based in Sanaa.