Two of the six al-Qaida militants charged with orchestrating the 2000 attack on the USS Cole were sentenced to death on Wednesday.

A Yemeni court handed down the death penalty to Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the mastermind who was currently in US custody and tried in absentia, and Jamal al-Badawi for plotting and preparing for the attack.

The other four were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from five to ten years for involvement in the attack.

The suicide bombing attack at the US navy destroyer Cole killed 17 US soldiers on Oct. 12, 2000 in the southern Yemeni harbor of Aden.

Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laded claimed responsibility for the attack.