Yemen arrests 3 al-Qaida suspects

SANAA, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni police captured three al- Qaida suspects in the province of Aden, the country's Defense Ministry's website 26sep.net reported Wednesday.

The three men were arrested in a security checkpoint while they were riding a motorcycle, according to the report.

The men, identified as Mujeeb Hafsah, Mohammed al-Bakawi and Mohammed Ismail, were accused of bombing the car of a provincial government official on April 19, as well as killing two security soldiers in Abyan province, said the ministry.

"During investigations, the suspects admitted that they were assigned by Khaled Abdul Nabi, a member of al-Qaida in Abyan province," the ministry quoted the security official as saying.

Abdul Nabi was the leader of the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army, an group in Yemen which the authorities accused of having links with al-Qaida. He was reportedly behind a number of violent acts, according to official media.