Specialized Criminal Court in Capital Sanaa reserves espionage cell cases for verdict

The Specialized Criminal Court in the Capital Secretariat has decided to reserve the cases of espionage cells linked to a spy network affiliated with U.S., Israeli, and Saudi intelligence services for the issuance of a verdict in the next session.

The decision came during two sessions held today— the first chaired by Judge Yahya Al-Mansour, with the attendance of Chief Prosecutor Judge Abdullah Zahra, Deputy Prosecutor Judge Sarem Al-Din Mufaddal, and Prosecutor Judge Khaled Omar; and the second session chaired by Judge Rabee’ Al-Zubair with Prosecutor Judge Nasr Al-Qasimi in attendance.

During the hearings, the court listened to the defendants’ responses, their lawyers’ arguments, and the prosecution’s rebuttals, as well as the prosecution’s demand for the maximum penalty—execution for all 21 defendants. All parties stated they had presented their final arguments and requested that the case be reserved for judgment.

The prosecution charged the defendants with collaborating, during 2024–2025, with foreign states hostile to the Republic of Yemen—namely Saudi Arabia, Britain, and the United States—through intelligence officers from those countries and the Israeli Mossad. According to the indictment, the defendants were handled and trained by these officers, provided with encrypted communication tools, location-tracking applications, and courses on using concealed cameras linked to live-streaming systems.

They were also accused of supplying hostile intelligence agencies with information on dozens of state leaders’ locations and movements, as well as sensitive political, military, and security data. Additional charges included providing details related to missiles, their sources, launch sites, and storage locations; recruiting and attempting to recruit citizens; planting surveillance cameras; and receiving payments for these activities. The prosecution stated that these acts contributed to the targeting of multiple military, security, and civilian sites, resulting in numerous deaths and widespread infrastructure damage.