Yemeni Terror Suspects Released

The 2 men from Yemen that were detained as potential terror suspects after a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Amsterdam have been released now. On Wednesday, Dutch authorities said that the men were freed after it was found that they did nothing wrong. Prosecutors said that no evidence was found to support the initial terrorism threat accusations, so there was no reason for the men to be held any longer.

Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al-Soofi and Hezem al-Murisi were arrested on Monday on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. However, there were never any formal charges. US law enforcement sources said that the two were trying to test security at the country’s airports by taping electronic devices to bottles and putting them in their luggage. However, there was never any evidence of a terrorism threat and no indication that the men even knew each other.

It sure looked as though they knew each other, but the situation was only a coincidence. Both of the men had missed their Chicago to Washing Dulles flights, so United Airlines rebooked them on flights to Amsterdam. However, the luggage was still sent to Dulles, where security was triggered and Dutch authorities were notified of the possible threat.

Although there was no threat, it was better that both national authorities were cautious and checked everything to make sure nothing was going on. Security around the world has really been stepped up lately after the failed Christmas Day bomber, which al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for and threatened further attacks on the US by plane, like they did on 9/11.