‘Hot Houthi’ pirate says 25 hostages taken from ship

YEMEN’S ‘hot Houthi’ claims the Iranbacked rebel group has taken 25 hostages from a hijacked cargo ship to a secret location on land.

Rashid Al Haddad, 19, has emerged as the face of the Islamist militia after his Tiktok videos on board the Galaxy Leader ship went viral.

The Israeli-owned vessel was stormed in November by armed Houthi rebels and now functions as a tourist destination for curious locals.

In a series of calls and messages with The Telegraph, the young man dubbed “Timhouthi Chalamet” on account of his Hollywood-style good looks, said, the crew, which includes Mexican, Romanian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian and Filipino seamen are “safe” but have been relocated to a location on land.

Mr Haddad said: “They are living with us Yemenis, they like it here.” The

Galaxy Leader is being held at Hodeida port, a Houthi-controlled part of the country, as the rebel group continues its blockade of the Red Sea.

British and American airstrikes have so far failed to deter the militia whose attacks have reshaped global shipping routes. Niku Jafarnia from Human Rights Watch warned that the crew’s treatment may be less welcoming than Mr Haddad claims.

“While it’s unclear what situation these men are being held in, the Houthis have systematically used torture on those they’ve imprisoned, in some cases killing detainees,” she said.

Mr Haddad admits the Galaxy Leader crew have nothing to do with the conflict themselves.

“It’s correct that this is not the hostages’ war, they’re not Israeli, but we will not stop our mission until the end of Israel. It will be soon,” Mr Haddad said.