Yemeni criminal court tries six people for spying for Britain, acts of sabotage

A criminal court in Yemen has put on trial six people on charges of spying for the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) as well as perpetrating various acts of sabotage in the war-torn Arab country.

The Specialized First Instance Criminal Court in the capital Sana’a, presided over by Judge Mohammad Mofleh, on Monday found the defendants guilty of espionage in favor of the British intelligence service by recruiting and training people in a number of Yemeni provinces, the official Saba news agency reported.

The court added that the defendants, identified as Arafat Qassim Abdullah al-Hashedi, Ali Muhammad Abdullah al-Ja’mani, Bassem Ali Ali al-Kharouja, Salim Abdullah Yahya Hobeish, Ayman Mujahid Qaed Harish and Muhammad Sharaf Qaed Harish, were using advanced means of communication as well as sophisticated monitoring and tracking programs and applications in order to spy on the Yemeni territory and commit acts of sabotage.

UK arms giant sold £15bn in weapons to Saudi Arabia during Yemen war: Report

Britain’s leading arms manufacturer is found to have sold above £15 billion ($18.9) worth of arms to Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the war on Yemen.

Saba highlighted that the six defendants were active in Sana’a Municipality as well as the northern Yemeni provinces of ‘Amran, Sa’ada and al-Jawf, central province of Ma’rib as well as the southern provinces of al-Mahra and Hadramaut.

The British government has not reacted to the court hearing yet.

This is not the first time that Yemen accuses the UK of interfering in the Arab country. 

Back in September 2020, the spokesman for Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement censured Britain's blatant interference in the internal affairs of the Arab country, after then British ambassador to Yemen Michael Aron accused Yemeni armed forces of fomenting clashes in the strategic central province of Ma’rib.

“As usual, the British ambassador tends to utter remarks and put out statements about the independent Republic of Yemen, not knowing the fact that the mercenaries and traitors whom he meets do not represent the nation. They solely think of money and are ready to sell the country and compromise its interests,” Mohammed Abdul-Salam said in a statement at the time.

He added that the Yemeni nation does not accept to be under the auspices of any party and firmly rejects interference in Yemen’s internal affairs, stressing that Aron’s remarks clearly indicated the failure of the Saudi-led aggression and the siege against Yemen.

Britain continues to aid Saudi war effort in Yemen

In a rare disclosure, the International Trade Secretary, Lizz Truss, admitted that the government ignored a court ban to sell military equipment to its Saudi ally.

Aron had tweeted two days earlier that he had spoken to pro-Hadi Ma'rib Governor Sultan al-Aradh, blaming Ansarullah fighters for the uptick in military activities in Ma’rib province.

He also urged the Houthis to take the role of UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths seriously. 

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the war on Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, back to power and crushing the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.

According to the UN, 80 percent of Yemen’s 30 million people need some form of aid or protection. About 13.5 million Yemenis currently face acute food insecurity, UN data shows.

The popular Houthi Ansarullah movement, backed by the Yemeni armed forces and allied popular groups, has gone from strength to strength against the Saudi-led invaders, and successfully defended Yemen against the Saudi aggression, leaving Riyadh and its allies bogged down in the county.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir