U.S.: Yemen holding 12 Americans

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Yemeni authorities have 12 Americans in custody, and the arrests may be linked to a joint U.S.-Yemeni anti-terror campaign, a State Department spokesman said Monday.

The spokesman, P.J. Crowley, declined to provide details about the case, except to say the State Department is aware of the arrests and is seeking more information about the individuals being held.

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.

The arrests reported last week were made after foreign intelligence agencies provided lists of names of people they wanted to have detained or put under surveillance, according to two Yemeni security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not permitted to brief journalists.

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.

Asked whether he could confirm a report that the Americans had been picked up in Yemen at the request of the U.S. government, Crowley replied, "We have great cooperation with the government of Yemen. Together, we are doing our best to help Yemen reduce the threat posed by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. That's a threat to Yemen. It's a threat to the United States. But beyond that, I'm not going to talk about specifics."

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