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November 27, 2005
Yemen: Muslim Cleric Shot By Firing Squad
Al Jazeera today announces that a radical Muslim cleric, Ali Ahmed Muhammad Jarallah (pictured) was executed by firing squad earlier today in the courtyard of the main Sanaa prison. Members of his family and the judiciary were present to witness the event. Jarallah had been the imam at a mosque in Sanaa.
Middle East Report described how, on December 28, 2002, Jarallah had killed the leader of the opposition Yemeni Socialist Party, Jarallah Omar. The cleric, Ali Ahmed Jarallah, had approached the politician shortly before noon, as his target left a meeting of the extreme Islamist party, Islah, and shot several bullets. Omar Jarallah was hit by two of these, with one entering his heart. He died in an ambulance transporting him to hospital.
Ali Ahmed Jarallah was a former student of the private and ultra-conservative al-Iman University, which has recently been accused of al-Qaeda affiliations. At the time of the killing Jarallah, who was then serving in the Yemeni military, claimed he was acting alone.
He has been accused of being an activist for the Islamist party, Islah, even though his victim had forged an alliance with this party. Ali Ahmed Jarallah had used his position as prayer leader at his Sanaa mosque to vent anti-government sermons, for which he was detained in 2001. He admitted to interrogators that he had a list of other political figures he intended to kill. Though he claimed to be acting alone, speculation abounded that he had al-Qaeda links. Al-Qaeda issued a statement shortly after the murder praising the killing, and had also carried out other killings of their own in Yemen at that time.
Ali Ahmeed Jarallah was convicted in September 2003 of the assassination, and on April 2004, this verdict was upheld by a court of appeal. The Yemen Observer reported that on October 30, the Supreme Court upheld the conviction, enabling today's execution. During his trial and appeals, Jarallah claimed he had killed his victim for his "secular beliefs".
Al Jazeera stated that he claimed in a confession from July 2003 that the killing was part of a Jihad, or holy war, against converts to Christianity and infidels. He allegedly created a terror cell to murder socialists, Arab nationalists and converts to Christianity. Six members of this cell/gang had received prison sentences of between three and ten years.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at November 27, 2005 7:30 AM
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