Eight al Qaeda suspects on trial in Yemen had also planned to attack Americans in Saudi Arabia, state prosecutors told a court on Monday. The group, on trial since March, were initially accused of having links to al Qaeda and planning to blow up the British and Italian embassies and a French cultural centre in Yemen. The suspects - two Syrians, a Kuwaiti of Iraqi origin and five Yemenis - have pleaded guilty to planning the attacks in Yemen but denied they had formed an armed group. The prosecutor said new information showed the group had planned to attack military bases in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, as well as American civilians, Western companies, restaurants and schools.
He said they also plotted attacks in Kuwait, Bahrain, Europe and the United States but did not give any details. The defence asked to see the documents before responding.
Yemen has cracked down on militants since the September 11, 2001 attacks on US cities. It has captured and sentenced several al Qaeda followers, including those behind the 2000 USS Cole bombing and the 2002 attack on the French supertanker Limburg.
The poor Arab country has co-operated with the US-led war on terrorism to shed its image as a hotbed for militants.
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