QUOTE OF THE DAY “In the absence of such evidence, the State’s unsupported fears and speculations are insufficient to justify the State’s refusal to

dignify the family relationships of its gay and lesbian citizens.” U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby, on how Utah’s law passed by voters in 2004 violates gay couples’ rights to due process and equal protection Article, 2AU.S. drone strike targeted al-Qaida leader

WASHINGTON - U.S. and Yemeni officials said Friday that the target of a Dec. 12 drone strike in Yemen was the ringleader behind the summer plot that shuttered 19 diplomatic posts across Africa and the Mideast. But he was only wounded, and escaped, while up to a dozen others were killed.

Two U.S. and one Yemeni official said Shawqi Ali Ahmad al-Badani, a midlevel leader in al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, was the target of the U.S. drone strike in the central city of Radda.

U.S. officials said between nine and 12 other militants were killed, and they know of no civilian casualties.

Reports from Yemen were that the strike hit a wedding, killing 13 civilians. The U.S. officials said the militants were traveling to the wedding, but were not near civilians when they were hit.

The U.S. closed 19 of its diplomatic missions in the Middle East and Africa for a week last August after it intercepted a message between al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahri and Yemen’s al-Qaida offshoot about plans for a major attack.

N.Y. seeks lesser charges in SUV assault

NEW YORK - Top charges are likely to be reduced against an off-duty undercover New York police officer and nine other bikers charged in the Sept. 29 highway beating of a driver, a prosecutor said.

Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass told a state Supreme Court judge in Manhattan on Friday that he’d move to lessen the first-degree assault and gang-assault charges because the victim’s injuries were healing. Those charges require permanent disfigurement of the victim.

Steinglass said the bikers will instead likely face charges of attempted assault and attempted gang-assault. That means the men could face up to 15 years in prison instead of 25.

Prosecutors also offered plea deals Friday. None of the offers were immediately accepted.

Ex-al-Qaida spokesman draws new counts

NEW YORK - Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law and former spokesman gave a speech a few months after 9/11 saluting the attacks and warning that more strikes by al-Qaida were on the way, U.S. prosecutors said in court papers made public Friday.

The new allegations were contained in an updated indictment against Abu Ghaith filed in federal court in New York City, where he is to go on trial next year. New charges of conspiracy to provide material support and resources to terrorists, and providing such support were added.

Abu Ghaith has already pleaded innocent to charges that he conspired to kill Americans in his role as al-Qaida’s spokesman after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Police: Colorado school shooting foiled

TRINIDAD, Colo. - Police in southern Colorado said they thwarted a school shooting plot by two teenagers, one of whom idolized mass shooters, just a week after a student opened fire in the halls of a suburban Denver high school.

Police Chief Charles Glorioso said Friday that the department’s school-resource officer got a tip Thursday that two boys, ages 15 and 16, planned to carry out the attack at Trinidad High School after winter break. Because of the warning, extra security was in place at three Trinidad schools Thursday, the last day of classes before the break.

Glorioso said investigators learned the 15-year-old had been bullied and had said he idolized the Columbine High School and Colorado theater shooters. The teens were arrested Friday on suspicion of making a credible threat against a school and inciting destruction of life or property.

Glorioso, who said the boys planned the attack for about a month and a half, would not release the details of their plot or how they would carry it out. He did say a search of the teens’ homes did not turn up any weapons, but “they had talked about what they could do to get them.”

On Dec. 13, a student opened fire at Arapahoe High School south of Denver, critically wounding one student before killing himself.

Front Section, Pages 3 on 12/21/2013