SANAA, 5 November 2006 — A Yemeni appeals court yesterday upheld the acquittal by a lower court of 19 men, including five Saudis, of planning attacks against Americans in Yemen, citing lack of evidence.

The court however convicted four Yemenis and two Saudis of forging ID documents and gave them prison terms of two to three years.

A state security court threw out the charges against the 19 men on July 8, saying the prosecution had failed to prove its case that the men had formed an armed gang to attack US citizens in Yemen.

Among those convicted of forgery was the alleged leader of the group, Ali Abdullah Hussein Al-Harthi, a 26-year-old Yemeni. He received a three-year jail term.

Saudis Muhsin Mubarak ibn Obaid, 19, and Muhammad Falah Al-Qahtani, 22, were ordered released as they have already spent nearly two years in detention. The other three Saudis — Saad Abdul-Ghani Al-Bloushi, 26, Muhammad Musaifir Al-Quraishi, 27, and Majid Ahmad Al-Zahrani, 30 — were acquitted of all charges and ordered released.