The Specialized Criminal Court in Sana’a on Sunday held the first session of the trial of the first group of defendants accused of belonging to an espionage network allegedly affiliated with British intelligence.
The earlier court had found the defendants guilty and sentenced them to death by firing squad as a discretionary punishment.
The court granted the defendants the right to submit appeals in a future session.
The Specialized Criminal Court of First Instance had convicted members of the group on January 7, along with another group of six individuals linked to the same network. Eight defendants were sentenced to death as a discretionary punishment, while the ninth received a 15-year prison term.
According to prosecution charges, the defendants allegedly operated between 2021 and 2025 in coordination with intelligence officers from Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom, whom they reportedly met in Cairo and Riyadh.
They are accused of gathering intelligence on military, security, and civilian targets in Sana’a, receiving training in surveillance and encrypted communications, and using specialized tracking and monitoring devices.
The indictment further alleges that the network used covert applications, surveillance tools, and specially equipped vehicles for live transmission in exchange for money and gold bars, with the aim of undermining Yemen’s military, political, and economic infrastructure.
