Two Australians released after anti-terrorism probe in Yemen

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dpa German Press Agency
Published: Sunday December 3, 2006

Sana'a- Yemeni police have freed two Australians arrested along with six other foreigners last October for alleged links to al- Qaeda and involvement in smuggling weapons to Somalia, police officials said Sunday. A police official said the two men, Mohammad Abdul-Raheem Ayub, 21, and his brother Abdullah Abdul-Raheem Ayub, 19, were freed late Saturday.

"The two brothers were released after prosecutors found no evidence linking them with any illegal activity in Yemen," the official told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa on condition of anonymity.

A third Australian suspect, Marek Samulski, 35, would remain in custody and would likely face trial before Yemen's state security court that handles terrorism-related cases, the official said.

The trio, and five other foreigners - a Briton, a German, an Austrian, a Dane and a Somali - were detained in a sting operation by anti-terrorism police in Sana'a on October 16.

Security officials said then the men were members of a group connected to al-Qaeda and that they were trying to smuggle weapons to Somalia.

The German was released on November 2 after Yemeni interrogators said he had not been involved in any illegal activities.

The rest of the group is still in detention awaiting trial, said the Yemeni official.

Police officials said the seven Westerners had been learning Arabic language at a Sana'a institute for two years before they were arrested.

Yemeni Interior Minister Rashad al-Alimi told reporters last month that the group would not be transferred to Guantanamo Bay or any other country.

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency