Al Qaeda suspects on terror charges face death in Aden court

Several Yemenis accused of being members of Al Qaeda went on trial in a case that could set a legal precedent in the country’s antiterrorism legislation.

Judge Wahib Fadel on Wednesday opened the first session and heard testimonies of the suspected terrorists in the criminal court in Aden.

Legal experts in Yemen said the accused men could be sentenced to death, or to decades in prison.

“This is the first time the judiciary system in Aden is running sessions for terrorist elements, especially those accused of being members of Al Qaeda.

“Most of the courts headquarters in Aden were destroyed in the war with the Houthis,” said Gyab Saleh, a lawyer.

Meanwhile, security forces in Marib province, about 120 kilometres east of rebel-held Sanaa, on Wednesday seized a shipment of weapons en route to Houthi militias in Sanaa, said Ahmed Ayedh, a journalist.

“The weapons included missile launchers, kalashnikov rifles and explosives hidden on a big lorry, but soldiers at the checkpoint had received security information before their arrival, which enabled them to seize the weapons,” Ayedh said.

Dozens of the Iran-backed rebels were also killed on Wednesday as Yemeni forces targeted gatherings on the outskirts of Sanaa.

Aden has been the seat of the government since 2014, when Houthi fighters seized the capital, Sanaa.