Sanaa , Yemen ( CNN ) -- President Ali Abdullah Saleh plans to return to Yemen following the investigation into his attempted assassination , a government spokesman said . The announcement follows claims weeks ago by the Yemeni government it had completed the investigation , accusing two leading opposition figures of planning the June palace bombing that left Saleh with severe burns and shrapnel wounds . The Yemeni government switched gears Sunday , saying the investigation was nearly complete . Abdu Ganadi , the government spokesman , did not say when it would be finished nor whether those accused earlier were still considered suspects . `` I can not give you a specific time of when President Saleh will arrive . But I can assure you that after the palace bombing investigation is over , the president will be back , '' Ganadi said . The Yemeni political crisis started January 16 , when youth protesters took to the streets demanding Saleh 's resignation . Fears of all-out civil war have spiked in recent months as government forces and people alleged to be Hashed tribesmen slugged it out in the capital . Saleh , who has been faced with widespread anti-government sentiment and militant activity , has been urged to accept a political transition plan that will lead to his departure . He has been in Saudi Arabia for treatment of wounds he suffered in a June 3 attack on his palace . Some see the timing of Ganadi 's announcement as a tactic by Saleh to delay stepping down from power . Saleh said in March he would leave office by the end of the year . `` If Saleh leaves office before the end of the year , history will report it that he was ousted by the revolution , '' said Ali Abdul Jabbar , an analyst and the director of the Sanaa-based Dar Ashraf Research Center . Opposition members , though , see it as a way for Saleh to avoid returning to Yemen to face possible criminal prosecution . `` The opposition and revolution youth hope that Ali Abdullah Saleh comes back to Yemen so that they can try him for all the crimes he committed against the people over the last 33 years , '' said Hamid al-Ahmar , a leading opposition figure . Ahmar , the opposition 's wealthiest businessman , and Ali Mohsen , the most powerful military leader in the country , were accused by the Yemeni government on August 18 of planning the palace attack .
Official : `` I can not give you a specific time of when President Saleh will arrive '' An official backtracks on claim that investigation into the attack on Saleh is complete . Earlier , the government accused two opposition members of planning the attack . President Saleh is said to be in Saudi Arabia recovering from burn wounds .