On October 17, Zayn al-Abidin Abu Bakr al-Mihdar, alias...

On October 17, Zayn al-Abidin Abu Bakr al-Mihdar, alias Abu al-Hasan, 28, leader of the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army, was put to death. He was responsible for kidnapping and killing foreign tourists, 4 of whom - 3 Britons and an Australian - lost their lives in a gun battle when troops staged a rescue mission on December 29, 1998. At the first instance court of Mudiyah on May 7, the death penalty had also been given to Mohammed Saleh abu Haraira, a Tunisian national, and Abdullah Saleh al-Juraydi, but their sentences were commuted to prison terms by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, respectively. Laurence Whitehouse, whose wife was killed in the December 29 rescue attempt - staged against the wishes of the British Government - said he disagreed with the death sentences and had hoped for long prison terms instead. The execution was witnessed by court officials, representatives of the prosecution and security officials.