Mukalla (South24)

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) revealed they have executed 11 Yemenis after accusing them of spying for hostile parties, including journalist Mohammed Al-Maqri who they kidnapped in 2015 during the organization’s control of Mukalla city, the capital of Hadramout Governorate.

In a statement, the AQAP’s security committee on Friday (December 27), confirmed the execution of the 11 individuals who they described as “spies.”

The terror organization said that the death sentences were carried out after “Sharia trials,” claiming that the detainees were convicted of “planting espionage chips and transmitting intelligence information” that led to direct targeting of their members.

AQAP stated that journalist Mohammed Al-Maqri was accused of cooperating with the Yemeni national security, and added that “he was sentenced to death and the sentence was carried out after the trial.”

The statement also included names of other persons executed, such as Naji Al-Zuhairi, who was described as a "collaborator with the Yemeni political security and the United States (US),", in addition to a group known as the "Al-Bayda Cell," which the organization said was convicted of spying for hostile parties.

#BREAKING

AQAP revealed the execution of 11 people including a journalist kidnapped in the past years on charges of espionage#south24 pic.twitter.com/cM1OzKTerJ

— South24 | English (@South24E) December 29, 2024

The 11 people were from different regions of Yemen, and were accused of spying for parties including the Yemeni National Security, the US, the UAE, and the Houthis.

According to AQAP, they decided to release the statement following demands from the families of the kidnapped to know the fate of their relatives.

In response to these demands, the organization said that the death sentences were carried out at the time. Neither the families of the victims nor the local authorities have commented on these allegations so far.

In a statement on Sunday, Yemen Today TV said: "We strongly condemn the crime of the execution by the ’terrorist‘ AQAP organization of our correspondent Mohammed Al-Maqri, who was kidnapped in 2015. This crime targets freedom of the press, and its purpose is to silence mouths."

In mid-November, AQAP released a new video titled “The Traitor’s Fate,” announcing the execution of a resident of Abyan Governorate, identified as Wahb Omar Ahmed Jawas, on charges of spying for the Southern forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC).

AQAP’s Telegram accounts released the video, which was produced by the Al-Malahem platform, the media arm of AQAP. The over 30-minute-long video focused heavily on attacking the UAE, the STC, and the US.

Experts believe that the nature of the conflict between AQAP and the Southern armed forces is witnessing a major shift, as the intelligence aspect has become dominant in events, with the escalation of field confrontations and media warfare campaigns.