Verdict on terror quartet postponed in Yemen

A Yemeni court has decided to postpone the verdict in the case of four Arabs accused of belonging to al-Qaeda. The quartet are facing charges of joining an armed gang to participate in battles between the Yemeni army and al-Qaeda in Abyan, south Yemen. The verdict has been postponed to January 12. If they are found guilty, they could be sentenced to the death penalty or given life imprisonment. Two of the defendants named as Saleh Al-Haras and Abdullah Alodayah are carrying Egyptian nationality. The other two, Muhammad Ali and Mohammed Kamal are Egyptian. The group was arrested at the beginning of 2012, in the province of Abyan, during an extensive military campaign waged by the Yemeni army to liberate southern cities from the grip of 'al-Qaeda' militants.