Yemen: New CIA spy cell in Houthi grip in Sanaa

Arab Sea Newspaper - Special

The Specialized Criminal Prosecution in the capital Sana'a announced today the referral of a new case related to espionage for the benefit of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to the criminal court, in the latest escalation within a broad security campaign led by the Houthi group against what it calls "hostile espionage cells." Judge Abdullah Zahra, the head of the prosecution, explained that the case includes "12 defendants" who were arrested and accused of belonging to an "American-Israeli" espionage network that has been active for decades within official and unofficial institutions, and carried out sabotage and espionage missions for the benefit of the "enemy," according to his expression. This referral comes less than two weeks after the Specialized Criminal Court issued a death sentence against "17 people" in a similar case, who were accused of spying for the American, Israeli, and Saudi intelligence services, while it sentenced two others to ten years in prison and acquitted two. This development is part of a judicial and security escalation in the capital Sana'a, amid accusations from human rights organizations of using "espionage" charges to liquidate political opponents and detainees without fair trials.