U.S. indicts 2 Yemenis in Cole attack

WASHINGTON - Two suspected al-Qaida terrorists who broke out of a prison in Yemen last month have been indicted by the U.S. government on charges they helped carry out the 2000 attack on USS Cole, which killed 17 sailors.

Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III described the indictment, unsealed yesterday, as a necessary step in securing the extradition of the fugitives if they are apprehended.

"With today's indictments, they are now international fugitives, a status that increases the probability of their speedy capture," Mueller told a news conference at FBI headquarters.

The 50-count indictment, returned Monday in New York, charges Jamal Ahmed Mohammed Ali Al-Badawi and Fahd al-Quso, both of Yemen, with terrorism-related counts that could bring the death penalty.