[JURIST] Yemen [government website] officials have denied an American request to interrogate detainees taken into custody after the escape of 23 prisoners [JURIST report], including suspected al Qaeda members, from a Yemen prison earlier this month. A Yemen security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said authorities rejected the US request because it would have violated Yemen's sovereignty.

US officials have expressed concern over the security threat [press briefing transcript] posed by the escapees and are interested in questioning the 105 people detained, who include family members of the 23 escapees, members of Islamic groups, and seven security officers. Interpol has issued a global security alert [JURIST report] for the escaped men. AP has more.