Yemen investigates Nigerian’s contact with Al Qaeda militants

Abdulmutallab, 23, told US officials after his arrest that he received training and instructions from Al Qaeda operatives in Yemen, a law enforcement official has said.

According to Yemeni officials, Abdulmutallab spent another extended period in Yemen, from 2004 to 2005.

People at the school who knew Abdulmutallab said he was not openly extremist, though he expressed anger over Israel’s actions against Palestinians in Gaza.

The possibility that he was involved with militants in Yemen has heightened concerns about the largely lawless country that has become an Al Qaeda stronghold. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a group formed in January when operatives from Saudi Arabia and Yemen merged, claimed responsibility Monday for the attempted attack on the Detroit-bound airliner.

Information Minister Hassan al-Lozy suggested the United States was partly to blame for Yemen’s failure to identify Abdulmutallab as a terror suspect. He said at a news conference that Washington never shared its suspicions about the man, who was flagged on a watchlist as a possible terrorist.

“We didn’t get any notice from the Americans to put this man on a list,’’ Lozy said. “America should have told Yemen about this man.’’

Lozy said Abdulmutallab received a Yemeni visa to study Arabic after authorities were reassured that he had “several visas from a number of countries that we are cooperating with in the fight against terror.’’ He noted that Abdulmutallab had a valid visa to the United States, which he had visited in the past.

“Our investigations are looking into who were the people or parties that were in touch with Umar here,’’ Lozy said.

He noted Abdulmutallab frequented a mosque in the old city, but did not say whether that mosque was linked to Al Qaeda.

The minister said Yemen was tightening controls on those seeking student visas to come to Yemen in the aftermath of Abdulmutallab’s case.

The new revelations were made a day after the Al Qaeda offshoot in Yemen claimed responsibility for the failed attack, saying it was meant “to avenge the American attacks on Al Qaeda in Yemen.’’