6 Now in Custody Acted Against Cole, Paper Cites Yemeni as Saying

SANA, Yemen —  Officials have proof that six people in custody in Yemen were involved in the apparent suicide attack on the U.S. warship Cole in Aden in October and are questioning more suspects, the interior minister said in remarks published Thursday.

Minister Hussein Mohammed Arab told a government newspaper that the investigation of the six suspects was complete and had proved their involvement in the Oct. 12 attack on the guided-missile destroyer.

Arab told the weekly 26 September that authorities were questioning 10 others suspected of links to the blast, which killed 17 U.S. sailors and injured 39.

Witnesses reported seeing two men aboard a small boat that drew alongside the Cole while the destroyer was refueling in the port of Aden. The small boat then exploded, tearing a huge hole in the side of the Cole, witnesses said.

Yemeni officials have said the six suspects, who include civil servants alleged to have provided other suspects with forged documents, will stand trial this month.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh said last month that authorities were still seeking a key suspect and that it was possible that Saudi militant Osama bin Laden was involved in the attack.

Bin Laden, who is believed to live in Afghanistan, has been accused by the United States of masterminding 1998 attacks on two U.S. embassies in East Africa. He has denied involvement in the Cole attack.