Outrageous but not terribly surprising:
SAN’A, Yemen [AP] – Yemen has set free one of the al-Qaida masterminds of the USS Cole bombing in 2000 that killed 17 American sailors, a senior security official said Thursday.
Jamal al-Badawi, who is wanted by the FBI, was convicted in 2004 of plotting, preparing and helping carry out the USS Cole bombing and received a death sentence that was commuted to 15 years in prison.
He and 22 others, mostly al-Qaida fighters, escaped from prison in 2004. But al-Badawi was granted his freedom after turning himself in 15 days ago and pledging loyalty to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh…
Al-Badawi has a $5 million US bounty on his head. His release came after a deal negotiated between Yemen and al-Quaeda “in return for a pledge not to engage in any violent or Al-Qaeda-related activity” (AFP).
Oh, I see. He’s clearly entirely rehabilitated.
Technorati Tags: terrorism, USS Cole, al-Badawi, Yemen, al-Quaeda