Marib Police Thwart Houthi Terrorist Plot to Assassinate Gen Sultan Al-Arada

The Marib Governorate Police has released comprehensive details about the successful security operation that foiled a terrorist plot by the Houthi milita to assassinate Major General Sultan Al-Arada, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council. The plot involved planting high-explosive devices that were to be detonated remotely on the morning of Eid Al-Adha.

Brigadier General Yahya Ali Humaid, the Director-General of Marib Police, stated that the security services had succeeded in thwarting the terrorist plot and apprehending the individuals involved, thanks to the vigilance and high readiness of the police units in dealing with various circumstances.

Marib's security media aired parts of the confessions made by the cell leader, Mohamad Ali Hussein Al-Qadri, on Yemen Channel. Al-Qadri confessed that he received a call from Houthi leaders through a special number. He was then transported to Sana'a, where he met a Houthi leader in a house after his phones were confiscated and he was blindfolded, adding that the Houthi leader informed him of his mission in Marib and gave him a new identity to mislead the security services if they had any intelligence or suspicions about him.

The cell, led by Al-Qadri, a resident of Al-Jabul Al-Ashraf village in Marib Al-Wadi district, was arrested just minutes before they could carry out their terrorist act and detonate the explosives. The security services had been monitoring their movements since their departure from Sana'a, despite the Houthi militia supplying them with false identities to enter Marib under and deceive the security forces.

Al-Qadri revealed that, a month and a half after his arrival in Marib, on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the Houthis sent him a photo via WhatsApp containing the coordinates of the assigned location for the explosive device he possessed. The chosen area was situated on the road that leads to the house of Major General Sultan Al-Arada, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council. However, after planting the explosives and concealing himself among the trees, the perpetrator was surprised when security personnel launched a sudden raid, swiftly apprehending him and successfully neutralizing the planted devices.

Brigadier General Hussein Al-Halisi, the Director of Criminal Investigation in Marib, pointed out that the Houthi militia has been relying on such cells, intending to send them to the Marib Al-Wadi Directorate. He emphasized the existence of a tribal and societal consensus to support security measures in the governorate.

This is not the first time that the security services in Marib governorate have thwarted Houthi terrorist plots. Earlier this month, they broadcasted a video recording of the confessions of a Houthi terrorist cell led by Hamad Ali Atiq from the Al-Ashraf group in Marib governorate.