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al-Qaeda

Two Yemenis face terror charges in U.S.

Kevin Johnson
USA TODAY
Loretta Lynch, U.S. attorney for the eastern district of New York.

WASHINGTON — Two Yemeni men, both accused members of al-Qaeda, have been arrested and secretly moved to the U.S., where they face murder conspiracy charges related to alleged attacks on military forces in Afghanistan.

The men, Saddiq Al-Abbadi and Ali Alvi, were arrested in Saudi Arabia and then expelled to the U.S., and into the custody of federal authorities in Brooklyn. They are accused of participating in attacks against military forces between 2003 and 2009.

In mid-2008, according to court documents, the two suspects allegedly took part in an attack against U.S. forces in Paktia province in which an Army ranger was killed and several others wounded.

"There is no escape from the reach of our law for violent terrorists, especially if they target our military," U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch said. "Al-Abbadi and Alvi may have operated in the mountains of Afghanistan, but now they face justice in a courtroom in Brooklyn."

The case against the two men is largely supported by the cooperation of a convicted al- Qaeda member and another terror group informant whose separate travels within the terrorist network allegedly brought them into contact with Al-Abbadi and Alvi.

On separate occasions, according to court documents, the informants told prosecutors that they shared safe houses with the suspects. One of the informants said the two suspects helped him gain membership in the terror organization's wing in Pakistan.

The suspects, according to court documents, allegedly detailed their involvement in various battles against U.S. forces during their safe house stays.

One of the informants told prosecutors that in 2006 he traveled to Iran from Saudi Arabia, en route to fight in Iraq, and encountered Al-Abbadi.

"While at this safe house, the group watched jihadist videos of attacks on American soldiers, including mortar and improvised explosive device attacks,'' prosecutors allege.

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