TERRORISM Court charges 6 Yemenis in bombing of USS Cole

One of the suspects is believed to be a close associate of Osama bin Laden.
SAN'A, Yemen (AP) -- A security court charged six Yemenis in the planning of the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole and said they belonged to Osama bin Laden's terrorist network, opening the first trial in the case.
Seventeen American sailors were killed when two suicide bombers in an explosives-laden boat rammed the U.S. destroyer as it refueled in the southern port city of Aden. Bin Laden's Al-Qaida network was blamed for the bombing.
Among the six charged in San'a today was accused mastermind Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who is in U.S. custody, but it was unclear where. The other five were in court today.
Planning, funding
Al-Nashiri was accused of planning and funding the attack and training the cell members who carried it out. The United States announced al-Nashiri's arrest in November, 2002, saying he had been detained in an undisclosed country and transferred to American custody. Western diplomats later identified the country as the United Arab Emirates, and Emirates officials confirmed that in December 2002.
U.S. officials believe the Saudi-born al-Nashiri is a close associate of bin Laden's. In addition to the Cole attack, he is suspected of helping direct the 1998 bombings of U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. U.S. officials say al-Nashiri gave telephone orders to the Cole bombers from the Emirates.
In a trial that had been expected to start but delayed many times, Judge Najib al-Qaderi read a list of charges that included forming an armed gang to carry out criminal acts against the interests of the state; belonging to Al-Qaida; resisting authorities and forging documents.
The defendants present refused to plead and asked for lawyers. The judge scheduled a new hearing July 14