Death Sentence Upheld for Saudi “Spy”, Yemeni Freed
Charged with revealing an AQ plot to bomb tourists in Egypt (with the knowledge of the Yemeni government) to the Egyptian embassy in Sana’a. The Egyptian officials told the National Security and the two informants were arrested.
Court confirms death sentence on espionage charges against former Saudi soldier Dhahouk.
SANAA - A Yemen court of appeal confirmed on Monday a death sentence on espionage charges against a Saudi who had been stripped of his citizenship, while it acquitted a Yemeni national.
Hamad al-Dhahouk, a former Saudi soldier of Yemeni origin, and Abdul Aziz al-Hatbani, an officer in Yemen’s army, were both sentenced to death in February by a court specialised in handling terrorism cases.
They were convicted of passing false information to the Egyptian embassy in Sanaa claiming that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were financing a terrorist cell in Yemen to attack tourists in Egypt, with the knowledge of the Yemeni government.
The court found “the evidence provided was valid against” Dhahouk, 50, whose Saudi citizenship was revoked in 1995.
Hatbani, on the other hand, was set free.
At their initial trial, which began in June 2007, the prosecution accused Dhahouk of passing documents containing the false information to the Egyptian embassy and demanding money in return.
Dhahouk said during interrogation that he had been a soldier in Saudi Arabia but was expelled from the country in 1995 during a visit by Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
He claimed that the Saudi authorities told him “Go with your president,” and revoked his Saudi citizenship.
Earlier this month, the same court began the trial of three Yemenis who are alleged to have spied for Iran.
Iranian Spy Trial Continues, Weapons Smugglers
SANA’A, NewsYemen
Specialized Primary Court held on Sunday hearing sessions on the cases of two groups of Iranians charged of smuggling drugs to Yemen.
The first hearing session was held on the case of 11 Iranian fishermen and one Pakistani charged with smuggling hashish to the country.
The charged fishermen admitted they illegally crossed Yemen’s territorial waters, but denied that the quantity of hashish seized on their boat belongs to them.
A fisherman said: “International forces in Yemen’s waters, US forces, seized us and blindfolded us and handed us to Yemeni authorities. We did know about hashish after we had been extradited to Yemeni forces. “Why have they blindfolded our eyes before checking the boat? We have the right to know about findings.”
The Judge Radhwan al-Namer has adjourned the trial until November 2nd and decided to send a letter to the Iranian embassy in Sana’a to get lawyers for charged fishermen.
The second group, also charged of smuggling drugs to Yemen, comprises 13 Iranians. The Judge Mohsin Alwan adjourned the trial to the coming Wednesday to give the lawyer Abdul-Aziz al-Samawi more time to study the case’s file.
On the other hand, the Specialized Penal Court started Saturday the trial of three Yemeni people charged of spying for Iran.
Abdul-Karim Abdul-Karim Lalji, one of the three charged, confessed he has reported information to the Iranian Embassy on movement of Americans in Yemen, war in Sa’ada, 2003 parliamentary elections, the Yemeni coastguard updates, the security situation in Aden and military secrets.
Lalji said an official in the embassy paid him for reporting information.
