Yemen Arrests Terrorist Linked to Bin Laden

(Sanaa, Yemen) According to President Ali Abdullah Saleh, bodyguard Hussein al-Jerdani, companion of Osama bin Laden and owner of an al Qaeda safe house, was arrested Sunday by Yemeni officials.

From Yahoo News:

"We have arrested a major terrorist who was planning operations against American installations and the Movenpick hotel," Saleh said at a press conference Tuesday, the eve of a presidential election marked by persistent Islamist and tribal unrest in the Middle East's poorest country.

He said the suspect was a bodygard for Faisal bin Shamlan, a former oil minister who is his main challenger in Wednesday's five-way presidential race, only the second such election since north and south Yemen unified in 1990.

Jane at Armies of Liberation is skeptical. Based upon the circumstances and the timing of the 'arrest' of a terrorist, who just happens to be working for Shamlan, seems like an election eve ploy by President Saleh. Apparently, Saleh is more than capable of dirty tricks to assure that his 28-year rule continues.

It's also notable that the various reports of the arrest of Hussein al-Jerdani don't agree on what his name is. As a minimum, he's been called Hussein al-Jirdani, Hussain al-Darajani, Hussein Ahmed, and Hussein al-Jerdani. A suspicious observer might be led to believe it's done intentionally to confuse the authorities.