Yemen ambassador: US must apologize for Amsterdam arrests

(AFP) - The U.S. must apologize for the wrongful arrest on terror charges of two Yemenis on Dutch soil and investigate how such a "mistake" was made, Yemen's ambassador to The Hague said Thursday.

"Our government should ... receive a letter from the U.S. government to say, 'We are sorry that this has happened.' An apology," ambassador Nageeb Ahmed Obeid said, adding that the events tarnished Yemen's image. "And they should investigate their officials who made this mistake."

Two Yemenis, who the ambassador confirmed were Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al Soofi and Hezam al Murisi, were freed by Dutch authorities late Wednesday following their arrest Monday in Amsterdam "on suspicion of possible involvement in the planning of a terrorist act," according to prosecutors.

Dutch officials said they acted "on the basis of information provided by the U.S. authorities."

American airport security spotted suspicious-looking items -- including a cell phone taped to a plastic bottle -- in Soofi's luggage, which was on a plane bound for Washington Dulles airport while he was on a flight to Amsterdam.

But further investigations in the Netherlands and the U.S. yielded no evidence of wrongdoing.

Obeid said the two men should be entitled to damages for loss of reputation but could not say whether any claim would be pursued.

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