WASHINGTON — Yemeni authorities have 12 Americans in custody, and the arrests may be linked to a joint U.S.-Yemeni anti-terror campaign, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Monday.
Crowley declined to provide details about the case except to say the department is aware of the arrests and is seeking more information about the individuals.
The revelations come as the U.S. government continues to encourage Yemen to move against al-Qaeda-linked militants. U.S. officials worry that Yemen is becoming the next significant terrorist staging ground and say insurgents — including some from the U.S. — are training in camps in Yemen’s vast undergoverned spaces.
Last Wednesday, Yemeni security officials said authorities had detained several foreigners, including Americans, Britons and an Australian woman, in connection with an investigation into al-Qaeda’s increased activity in the country.
It was not immediately clear whether the 12 Americans cited by Crowley were among those reported to have been rounded up last week, but Crowley suggested there may be an anti-terrorism connection. The Associated Press
