U.S.S. Cole bombing mastermind set free (Wizbang)

This is unbelievable:

Yemen has set free one of the al-Qaida masterminds of the USS Cole bombing in 2000 that killed 17 American sailors, a senior security official said Thursday.

Jamal al-Badawi, who is wanted by the FBI, was convicted in 2004 of plotting, preparing and helping carry out the USS Cole bombing and received a death sentence that was commuted to 15 years in prison.

He and 22 others, mostly al-Qaida fighters, escaped from prison in 2004. But al-Badawi was granted his freedom after turning himself in 15 days ago and pledging loyalty to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The official said police were told by the government to "stop all previous orders concerning measures adopted against al-Badawi."

Witnesses told The Associated Press that al-Badawi was receiving well-wishers at his home in the al-Buraika district in Aden.

Why we didn't tell Yemen that we want him, and they better hand him over or they're gonna pay big time is beyond me.

After all, didn't President Bush say that anyone who gives aid and comfort to terrorists is an enemy of ours in the War on Terror? Or perhaps that was just an empty threat.

Regardless, the fact that this murderer and Al Qaeda terrorist is free again is troubling, to say the very least.

Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin

Comments (13)

Cassy, Yemen is pretty much... (Below threshold)

1. Posted by DJ Drummond | October 26, 2007 12:39 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)

DJ Drummond:

Cassy, Yemen is pretty much aligned with Venezuela, Cuba, and Detroit in terms of its opinion of the United States.

That is to say, they were fully aware that the Unted States wanted them to hand over al-Badawi and his buddies. It counted for zip where thy are concerned.

Yemen is not good-guy turf, capsice?

Posted on October 26, 2007 12:39

Lets hope an armed Predator... (Below threshold)

2. Posted by epador | October 26, 2007 12:43 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)

epador:

Lets hope an armed Predator is circling his home town as we type...

Posted on October 26, 2007 12:43

He'll be easier to get to i... (Below threshold)

3. Posted by Master Shake | October 26, 2007 12:44 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)

Master Shake:

He'll be easier to get to in a few months once the visa application that Wizbang Blue submitted for him is approved by the State Department. Since he'll be living in Barney's Mom's basement (I guess Barney will have to sleep in the garage under the car), he'll be much easier to capture. And with all the jihadi literature and anti-American propaganda that Barney has, we'll have prepositioned evidence against him!

Posted on October 26, 2007 12:44

If you set something free a... (Below threshold)

4. Posted by Veeshir | October 26, 2007 1:28 PM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)

Veeshir:

If you set something free and it doesn't come back, it was never yours in the first place.
On the other hand, if you set a terrorist free and it gets blown up, it was the United States.

Posted on October 26, 2007 13:28

If I'm not mistaken, I beli... (Below threshold)

5. Posted by Peter F. | October 26, 2007 2:22 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)

Peter F.:

If I'm not mistaken, I believe "60 Minutes" did do a piece on Jamal al-Badawi roaming free in Yemen within the past year. I could be thinking of someone else, too, but darn if this story doesn't seem familiar.

I imagine they'll be a Predator armed with its Hellfire missiles following his car caravan sooner rather than later.

Posted on October 26, 2007 14:22

Sounds like another candida... (Below threshold)

6. Posted by ODA315 | October 26, 2007 3:22 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)

ODA315:

Sounds like another candidate for the business end of a Barrett.

Posted on October 26, 2007 15:22

This piece of shit did not ... (Below threshold)

7. Posted by 914 | October 26, 2007 4:20 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)

914:

This piece of shit did not belong in jail in the first place.. drone the S.O.B.

Posted on October 26, 2007 16:20

"This is unbelievable:..... (Below threshold)

8. Posted by Herman | October 26, 2007 5:57 PM | Score: -4 (4 votes cast)

Herman:

"This is unbelievable:..."
...
"Why we didn't tell Yemen that we want him, and they better hand him over or they're gonna pay big time is beyond me."
"After all, didn't President Bush say that anyone who gives aid and comfort to terrorists is an enemy of ours in the War on Terror? Or perhaps that was just an empty threat." -- Cassy Fiano

What is truly unbelievable, Cassy, is that at this late stage you actually believed Bush.

Posted on October 26, 2007 17:57

I'd settle for a "mysteriou... (Below threshold)

9. Posted by SATerp | October 26, 2007 11:49 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

SATerp:

I'd settle for a "mysterious gas explosion", so long as it results in that sack of sh*t ending up in about a million pieces.

Posted on October 26, 2007 23:49

If only they had tried him ... (Below threshold)

10. Posted by Spurwing Plover | October 27, 2007 12:31 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Spurwing Plover:

f nl th hd trd hm hr bcs th SS CL ws mrcn shp w wld hv lkd t hv gvn hm nck-t prt wth fw pggs nvtd. Tht shld mn f h cmmts nthr sch ct th n fmls shld b llwd t s th sdns gvrmnt fr bng s lnnt

Posted on October 27, 2007 00:31

I gotta tell ya, the "disem... (Below threshold)

11. Posted by Oyster | October 27, 2007 12:22 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)

Oyster:

I gotta tell ya, the "disemvoweled" posts are actually easier to read than they were before they got the treatment. :)

Posted on October 27, 2007 12:22

I still don't think spurwin... (Below threshold)

12. Posted by Veeshir | October 28, 2007 10:55 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

I still don't think spurwing plover should be subject to the disemvoweling, squawk.

Posted on October 28, 2007 10:55

Veeshir, I can actually fee... (Below threshold)

13. Posted by Jay Tea | October 28, 2007 11:02 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Jay Tea:

Veeshir, I can actually feel brain cells dying every single time I see he's posted another stunningly stupid, illiterate, incoherent comment. In my case, it's simple self-defense.