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A Yemeni court began Sunday a trial of nine suspected al-Qaida members accused of plotting to assassinate President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi by a roadside bomb on his motorcade, the official Saba news agency reported.
The court in the capital Sanaa charged the defendants with taking part in an organized group affiliated with al-Qaida in early 2013 and preparing arms, explosives and communication means to target government officials and foreigners.
"Six of the defendants, one of them is still at large, had planted a remotely-controlled roadside bomb on the Sixty Street, which is regularly taken by the president on his way to the office, aiming to kill him," read the charges, cited by Saba.
The other two defendants were accused of monitoring the daily movement of the president's convoy, while the ninth defendant was released on bail until next trial session due to Nov. 24.
A similar trial was concluded on Sep. 15, in which three al- Qaida members were sentenced to up to seven years in prison for the same charges.
Hadi took office in February 2012 after a UN-backed power transfer deal eased former President Ali Abdullah Saleh from power after a year of mass protests.
His administration has since intensified efforts to crack down on the militants as part of a U.S.-backed anti-terrorism campaign. Dozens of the militants have been killed by U.S. drone strikes in the campaign.
The Yemeni troops defeated al-Qaida fighters in the southern province of Abyan and recaptured their strongholds in May 2012 after a one-year battle.
