Nine jailed for plotting to kill Yemen president

A court here sentenced nine Al Qaeda suspects Sunday to up to 10 years in prison for plotting to assassinate Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The court sentenced the suspects to between two and 10 years in prison for plotting to assassinate Hadi by a roadside bomb attack on his convey in Sana'a in past months, Xinhua reported.

In September, during a similar trial, three Al Qaeda members were sentenced to up to seven years in prison over same charges. Meanwhile, the court handed down a death penalty against Al Qaeda suspect Ahmed Turkey for attacking the intelligence headquarters branch in the port city of Aden in 2011 which had killed 20 security personnel.

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 US-backed anti-terrorism campaign. Dozens of the militants have been killed by US drone strikes in the campaign.