[JURIST] Eleven al Qaeda suspects began their trial in Yemen on Monday, charged with trying to support insurgents battling against US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The defendants were also charged with planning attacks in Yemen. The defendants admitted to forging passports, but denied all other charges. If convicted, they face an unspecified amount of jail time. Three additional defendants were released prior to trial due to lack of evidence. Last week, a Yemeni appeals court sentenced a militant group's leader to death [AFP report] for the 2002 bombing of the French supertanker Limburg. Yemen has been attempting to shed its image as a hotbed for militants. Since the September 11 attacks, the Yemeni government has arrested hundreds of al Qaeda suspects. Reuters has more.