Spies worked on sabotaging Yemen economy in cooperation with US
6 Min Read
The Yemeni Security Services reveal that the US worked with Yemeni spies to inflict damage upon Yemen's economy and undermine it.
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Al Mayadeen screengrab from a video published by the Yemeni authorities. The video details the results of the investigations of the spy cells (Al Mayadeen)
The Yemeni security services have published extensive confessions from members of a US-Israeli espionage network, revealing their operations aimed at undermining Yemen's economic sector by collecting data to support US presence and advance its agendas.
According to security officials, the targeted economic institutions included sectors such as banking, planning, energy, transportation, and mining. The US intelligence services reportedly inquired about the implementation of Sanaa's decision to ban the new Yemeni currency.
Economic espionage
One network member admitted that their role in the economic division involved gathering information on Yemen's central bank activities, various commercial and government banks, and other critical economic data.
"مهمتنا كانت جمع معلومات عن البنك المركزي والبنوك التجارية وشركات النفط ووزارة المال ومصلحة الضرائب..
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) June 22, 2024
الأميركيون ركزوا على القطاعات الواعدة في اليمن التي تتضمن المصلحة الأميركية".
مقتطفات من اعترافات جاسوسَي شبكة التجسس الأميركية - الإسرائيلية، التي كشفتها الأجهزة الأمنية… pic.twitter.com/dV0q9cP4FE
The individual detailed how the network compiled information about the oil industry, the companies operating within it, the Ministry of Finance, Customs and Tax Authorities, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, along with the Chamber of Commerce.
"The nature of the work [...] was to collect information about the economic sector in general, including information about the central bank and its activities, as well as information about various commercial banks and government bank," he said.
Additionally, network members were tasked with forming relationships and recruiting sources across various ministries and government entities to provide economic information.
Mineral resources
Another spy disclosed that US operatives prioritized information on Yemen's mineral resources, specifically from the Geological Survey Authority, to identify promising mineral production sites. He noted that the US already possessed extensive data on Yemen's oil, gas, and mineral potential through its own Geological Survey.
الشبكة الأميركية الإسرائيلية نفذت سلسلة من الأنشطة العدائية استهدفت الاقتصاد اليمني ومؤسساته.. والتسجيلات تكشف اتصالاً من أحد ضباط المخابرات الأميركيين بأحد أعضاء الشبكة لسؤاله عن المستجدات الاقتصادية في #اليمن pic.twitter.com/P1AszY7WrJ
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) June 22, 2024
This information, deemed classified even to Yemenis, was exclusively accessible to the US government and affiliated companies.
"The information about what Yemen possesses is considered classified and is not accessible to Yemenis themselves, but only to the US government and its affiliated companies," the spy said.
Money laundering and US interests
Confessions also revealed that the Americans trained 60 individuals from different economic sectors in money laundering and terrorist financing.
The focus was on monitoring the Central Bank of Yemen and its cash reserves, with strategies to exert pressure on Yemeni banks and remittances whenever the country's financial situation appeared stable.
One network member acknowledged being tasked by the US Deputy Ambassador in 2016 to handle a Central Bank shipment and transport it to Aden.
Corporate infiltration and market manipulation
Another spy admitted the Americans aimed to integrate their companies into Yemen, particularly in the electricity, oil, and minerals sectors. This member was responsible for managing relationships with local merchants, connecting them with the US Embassy, and arranging meetings between the two parties.
The confessions also highlighted US efforts to ensure continuous import flows and their interventions with the Yemeni government against new tax impositions. The primary objective of the United States was the influx of US goods, especially in the software industry, with General Electric (GE) keen on dominating Yemen's energy sector.
"The Americans trained 60 individuals from different economic sectors on money laundering and terrorist financing," one spy admitted.
He stressed that the Americans focused on the activities of the Central Bank of Yemen and its cash reserves, stating that the Americans would tighten restrictions on Yemeni banks and remittances whenever they sensed stability in Yemen's monetary situation.
Additionally, one spy confessed that he was tasked by the US Deputy Ambassador in 2016 to receive a Central Bank shipment and transport it to Aden.
Large espionage network unearthed
The Yemeni Security Forces uncovered a large espionage network operated by American and Israeli intelligence agencies, as announced by Sanaa on June 10.
Officials revealed that the network had been active within various institutions in Yemen since 2015.
The head of the Security and Intelligence Service, Major General Abdul Hakim Hashem Al-Khaiwani, said in a televised statement, “The exposed network collected important information in various fields and carried out direct espionage technical operations on behalf of the enemy’s intelligence services to obtain confidential, sovereign information.”
The security apparatus reported that the network gathered critical information across multiple sectors and relayed it to hostile intelligence services.
The agency said that the data collection influenced decision-makers, infiltrated state agencies, and recruited officials within the Yemeni government.
The spy network was said to have aimed to destabilize Yemen's economy through information gathering and sabotage. The network is also blamed for damaging the agricultural sector by increasing pest infestations to boost agricultural imports, thus increasing Yemen's dependence on foreign parties
Not the first imperialist radio
Members of the "Ammar Affash cell" (sometimes referred to as Ammar Saleh), were arrested in early May by the Yemeni security services, with the support of those concerned from the Ministry of Defense, for spying in service of the West.
The cell, more commonly known as the spy group "Force 400", led by Ammar Affash, a spy who has long been on the Yemeni forces' wanted list, had recruited these members to commit crimes in favor of the US and "Israel", according to Yemen's Saba News Agency.
According to Saba News Agency, a security official explained that the members caught over the past few days were recruited to work on collecting information and monitoring sites belonging to the Yemeni Armed Forces on the western coast of the Republic of Yemen.
Furthermore, the official highlighted that following Yemen's declaration of the launch of its operations in support of the people of Palestine and the start of operations against Israeli targets, including in the Red and Arabian seas amid a joint US-UK aggression on Yemen, security services detected increased intelligence efforts by Yemen's enemies.
