Aden (South24 Center)

The Aden Security Directorate said Wednesday (October 14) that it had arrested several suspects in a cell it said was linked to the Houthis and elements affiliated with prominent security fugitive Amjad Khaled. It also said it had seized explosives and landmines as part of an investigation that uncovered a plot to target security leaders in the city.

The directorate quoted Dar Saad Police Chief Col. Musleh Al-Dharhani as saying that “preliminary investigations revealed the suspects’ involvement in monitoring and filming locations, vehicles and individuals in several Aden districts, and sending information about them to parties linked to the Houthis and Amjad Khaled in exchange for monthly payments and bonuses for specific tasks.”

The directorate said statements by the suspects led security forces to a site believed to have been used to hide improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and explosive materials. Specialized teams, joined by forensic and explosives experts, found landmines, explosive materials and detonators used to make IEDs.

It said the investigation also uncovered a plot to target Col. Al-Dharhani and his deputy, Lt. Col. Abdulmajid Al-Jawhari, by monitoring the Dar Saad police station in preparation for planting IEDs.

The directorate said security forces were continuing their investigation to verify the details of the plot and identify those linked to it and their roles, ahead of taking legal measures based on the evidence.

The Aden Security Directorate did not disclose how many people had been arrested or their identities. The Houthis and Amjad Khaled had not immediately commented on the accusations.

The announcement came less than three days after Yemen’s Interior Ministry said on Monday (October 12) that it had arrested several Houthi-linked cells in Aden, Lahij and Abyan. They included an 18-member network in Lahij that the ministry said had been planning to target security and military leaders, as well as reinforcements heading to the Bab al-Mandeb and Al-Subaiha fronts.

Read more: Yemen’s Interior Ministry Says It Arrested Houthi-Linked Cells in Aden, Lahj, and Abyan

The ministry said the network’s members had received training in areas under Houthi control, and accused Amjad Khaled and Houthi leaders of overseeing and funding its activities.

The Aden Security Directorate had previously announced on September 19 that it had foiled a plot to target security and military forces and vital facilities in the city, after arresting a suspect carrying an IED in Dar Saad district. It said the investigation linked the plot to Amjad Khaled and Houthi leaders, including Mamoun Al-Zajr and Mohammed Al-Khasha.

These security announcements come amid ongoing clashes between Southern forces and the Houthis on the fronts in Lahij, Taiz and Bab al-Mandeb.