SANAA, Yemen, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- The Yemeni government said Wednesday five suspected members of al-Qaida appeared in court to face charges of planning acts of terrorism.
Yemen was the subject of a terrorism alert from the U.S. State Department. Several regional embassies were closed last month after U.S. officials said they saw heightened security risks emanating from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.
The official Saba News Agency reports five al-Qaida suspects appeared Wednesday in a state security court to face charges of plotting attacks in the country.
The five suspects were accused of "participating in a criminal agreement with an armed gang affiliated to the terrorist al-Qaida network to carry out criminal acts targeting police and army personnel in the Republic of Yemen," the report said.
The embassies of U.S. counterparts have reopened in Yemen. The U.S. Embassy in Yemen said last week it remained closed for regular consular services.
AQAP called for more homegrown attacks on the United States in a six-minute video posted online in early June. The al-Qaida franchise, which counts Yemen as its base of operations, has been linked to terrorist plots on the United States and Europe.
