The escape of dangerous al-Qaeda terrorists last week from a prison in Yemen could represent a setback in efforts to secure maritime routes in the area. Yemeni intelligence authorities have said that 13 of the 23 escapees were involved in the USS Cole and the Limburg tanker bombings (Terrorist Incident, Terrorist Incident). Most prominent among them is Fawaz ar-Rabi?i and Jamal Badawi. Ar-Rabi?i was accused of masterminding the Limburg tanker bombing, while Badawi is accused of having a lead position in the bombing of the USS Cole. Abu Assam al-Ahdal, who was the number two man in al-Qaeda in Yemen at one time, was also among the escapees. Five of the escapees were accused of membership in ?the Tawhid brigades,? a group headed by an Iraqi named Anwar Jilani.

Al-Badawi, who some US media outlets have been reporting the ?mastermind? of the USS Cole incident, was found by Yemen to be the second person in charge of that operation, behind Abdurrahim al-Nashiri. Al-Badawi was therefore sentenced to only 15 years in prison, whereas the mastermind of the Limburg attack, ar-Rabi?i, was sentenced to death.