Sweep of arrests in Yemen as government decries ‘hype’

SANA’A - Yemeni security forces Sunday arrested an undisclosed number of people said to have information regarding US-bound packages that contained explosive materials, security officials announced.

Security forces said they found the detainees by inspecting the phone records of Hanan Mohamed al-Sanawy, a female university student arrested late Saturday on suspicion of having sent the packages, later intercepted in Dubai and Britain, from the Yemeni capital of Sana’a.

Al-Sanawy’s lawyer told DPA that he is not aware of where she is being held and declared that her arrest was unlawful.

The Yemeni government says it is determined to continue its fight against terrorism “despite hype over the explosive packages,” Yemen’s state-run news agency SABA reported.

“I want to affirm that there are unfortunately different and exaggerating reports on the issue serving Al Qaeda and at the same time harming counter-terrorism efforts,” Yemeni Information Minister Hassan al-Lawzi said.