Al-Qaeda recruited Detroit bomber in London, says Yemen

The alleged Detroit plane bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was recruited by al-Qaeda in London, a top Yemeni official has claimed.

Yemen, the poorest Arab country, has been attempting to deflect criticism after a Yemen-based wing of al-Qaeda said it was behind the failed bombing. Abdulmutallab, son of a prominent Nigerian banker, is believed to have embraced extreme religious views during trips to Yemen to study Arabic and Islam. He also studied engineering at University College London between 2005 and 2008. Alimi confirmed that Abdulmutallab met Awlaki, a US-born cleric who was also linked to the gunman who ran amok at the Fort Hood U.S. army base in Texas in November. A Yemeni security official said last month that Awlaki may have been killed in a strike on al Qaeda militants, but other reports say he escaped and is on the run. Yemen, located on the Arabian Peninsula's strategically important southern tip, is trying to fight a threat from resurgent al-Qaeda fighters as well as quash a Shi'ite revolt in the north and separatist sentiment in the south. The authorities launched an operation this week to root out al Qaeda militants who they said were behind threats that forced Western embassies to close on Sunday. The raid, which killed two militants, allayed U.S. concerns and allowed the heavily fortified U.S. embassy to reopen. Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi told CNN that fighting al Qaeda was "the priority and the responsibility of our security forces and the army". Asked whether it would accept direct U.S. intervention, he said: "No, I don't think we will accept that. I think the U.S., as well, has learned from Afghanistan and Iraq and other places that direct intervention can be self-defeating." The foiled Christmas Day bombing has turned a spotlight on the growing prominence of al Qaeda in Yemen and the expanding role of the US military and spy agencies in fighting it. Yemen has long been a base for al Qaeda. Islamic militants bombed the warship USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden in 2000, killing 17 U.S. sailors. Yemenis were one of the largest groups to train in al-Qaeda's camps in Afghanistan before the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

Detroit terror attack : Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab

Rshad al-Alimi, Yemen’s Deputy Prime Minister for Defence and Security, said the suspect met radical Muslim preacher Anwar al-Awlaki after first making contact with him while he was in Britain.

Mr Alimi told a news conference: “The information provided to us is that Umar Farouk joined al Qaeda in London.”

Yemen, the poorest Arab country, has been attempting to deflect criticism after a Yemen-based wing of al-Qaeda said it was behind the failed bombing.

Abdulmutallab, son of a prominent Nigerian banker, is believed to have embraced extreme religious views during trips to Yemen to study Arabic and Islam. He also studied engineering at University College London between 2005 and 2008.

Alimi confirmed that Abdulmutallab met Awlaki, a US-born cleric who was also linked to the gunman who ran amok at the Fort Hood U.S. army base in Texas in November.

A Yemeni security official said last month that Awlaki may have been killed in a strike on al Qaeda militants, but other reports say he escaped and is on the run.

Yemen, located on the Arabian Peninsula’s strategically important southern tip, is trying to fight a threat from resurgent al-Qaeda fighters as well as quash a Shi’ite revolt in the north and separatist sentiment in the south.

The authorities launched an operation this week to root out al Qaeda militants who they said were behind threats that forced Western embassies to close on Sunday.

The raid, which killed two militants, allayed U.S. concerns and allowed the heavily fortified U.S. embassy to reopen.

Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi told CNN that fighting al Qaeda was “the priority and the responsibility of our security forces and the army”.

Asked whether it would accept direct U.S. intervention, he said: “No, I don’t think we will accept that. I think the U.S., as well, has learned from Afghanistan and Iraq and other places that direct intervention can be self-defeating.”

The foiled Christmas Day bombing has turned a spotlight on the growing prominence of al Qaeda in Yemen and the expanding role of the US military and spy agencies in fighting it.

Yemen has long been a base for al Qaeda. Islamic militants bombed the warship USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden in 2000, killing 17 U.S. sailors. Yemenis were one of the largest groups to train in al-Qaeda’s camps in Afghanistan before the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

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