The Specialized Criminal Court in Sanaa has sentenced 17 individuals to death by public firing squad after convicting them of espionage on behalf of foreign intelligence agencies, including US intelligence, Saudi intelligence, and the Israeli Mossad.

Two additional defendants were sentenced to ten years in prison, while one was acquitted.

The verdicts were issued in two separate court sessions, with the cases linked to what authorities described as a wide-ranging spy network accused of leaking sensitive political, military, and security information.

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Death sentences handed down in public firing squad ruling

The first session, presided over by Judge Yahya al-Mansour, saw the conviction and sentencing of ten individuals: Bashir Ali Mahdi, Khalid Qasim Abdullah, Nasser Ali al-Shaiba Nasser al-Hanishi, Imad Shaya' Muhammad, Ali Muthanna Nasser, Farouq Ali Rajih Hazam, Ali Ahmad Ahmad, Dhaif Allah Saleh Zuqam, Abdulrahman Adel Abdulrahman, and Anas Ahmad Salman.

All ten were sentenced to death by public execution “as a deterrent and to achieve general retribution.”

Two others, Huda Ali Saleh and Abdullah Abdullah Nashir, were sentenced to ten years in prison each.

In the second session, presided over by Judge Rabie al-Zubair, the court convicted and sentenced to death: Sinan Abdulaziz Ali Saleh, Nayef Yassin Abdullah Qaed, Bassam Hassan Saleh, Mujahid Mohammed Ali, Ali Ali Ahmed Hamoud, Hamoud Hassan Hamoud, and Majdi Mohammed Hussein.

One defendant, Ali Ali Daghashar Mutahhar, was acquitted.

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Defendants accused of spying for US, Saudi, and Israeli agencies

According to the Public Prosecution, the convicted individuals were charged with espionage and cooperation with intelligence services from Saudi Arabia, Britain, and the United States, acting under the guidance of Israeli Mossad operatives.

The prosecution detailed that the accused received encrypted communication devices, training in surveillance technologies, including hidden cameras, and used location-tracking applications to pass information to foreign handlers.

The charges relate to activities spanning the years 2024–2025.

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Charges include surveillance, recruitment, and aiding attacks

The defendants reportedly provided details about the movements and locations of Yemeni state leaders, missile sites, storage facilities, and military installations. They were also accused of planting surveillance equipment, recruiting citizens, and receiving financial compensation in exchange for intelligence.

According to court findings, this information facilitated attacks on military, security, and civilian targets, resulting in the deaths of dozens and widespread destruction of infrastructure.

The court said the sentences were meant to serve as “deterrence” and “public retribution” in response to “severe harm to national sovereignty.”