Senior al-Qaeda member surrenders to authorities in Yemen

June 8th, 2010 - 2:09 am ICT by BNO News  

MAARIB, YEMEN (BNO NEWS) – A senior ranking al-Qaeda operative on Monday surrendered to regional authorities in Yemen, the BBC reported.

Hamza Saleh al-Dayan turned himself in to regional government authorities in the western province of Maarib. alDayan was among 23 al-Qaeda operatives who escaped from a Yemeni jail in 2006.

It’s thought that al-Dayan is behind an attack in July 2007 that killed two Spanish tourists and two Yemenis. Additionally, he is also thought to be involved in a 2008 mortar attack on the U.S. embassy in the Yemeni capital in which a soldier and a young girl were killed.

He surrendered after long-going negotiations with Maarib Governor Naji bin Ali al-Zayedi, who happens to be al-Dayan’s cousin. Details of the negotiations were not discussed.

The information of his self-imposed arrest comes after four people were killed and at least eleven wounded in a shelling by the Yemeni army, who are fighting a renewed secessionist movement in the southern part of the country. The shelling was described as “indiscriminate,” as fourteen homes were hit, and no specific military targets were chosen.

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