Yemeni security services bust UK-Saudi espionage network
Yemeni Security Services foil a foreign espionage network linked to Saudi and British spy agencies.
Yemeni security forces announced they had thwarted hostile activities orchestrated by the British MI6 and Saudi intelligence in December 2024.
In a detailed statement, the Yemeni security sources revealed that "British intelligence, in cooperation and coordination with Saudi intelligence, recruited and trained espionage operatives to carry out intelligence activities targeting the country’s strategic assets."
The statement highlighted that British and Saudi intelligence officers trained these operatives in Riyadh on surveillance and information-gathering techniques. The operatives were also provided with advanced espionage equipment, including devices capable of precise location tracking and gathering coordinates.
According to Yemeni authorities, the recruited network aimed to target military and security sites, as well as monitor and track the locations, residences, and movements of key state leaders. The network also allegedly targeted strategic facilities, such as the missile force and drone units, and even placed GPS devices on vehicles and other targets.
The Supreme Political Council in Yemen issued a stern warning to the countries implicated in these espionage operations, stating, "We hold accountable those whose intelligence agencies recruited espionage cells to harm Yemen." The council further emphasized that "the espionage networks will face deterrent consequences in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations."
Yemen foils US-Israeli-led spy network
The Yemeni security apparatus revealed in late December that they have thwarted intelligence activities by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Israeli Mossad.
In a statement, the Yemeni security forces stressed that "the enemy's intelligence seeks, through espionage activities, to hinder the Yemeni people's stance in support of Gaza by targeting its military forces and leadership."
The statement affirmed that they would spare no effort in fulfilling their responsibility to secure the internal front and protect it from attempts of penetration by their adversaries, further warning of the danger of collaborating with US and Israeli intelligence agencies, noting that the penalty for such actions could reach the death sentence.
The Yemeni security forces called on all those involved with or who collaborated with enemy intelligence to turn themselves into judicial authorities, emphasizing their ability to track them down wherever they may be.