Houthi militia kidnaps Yemeni employee at US embassy in Sana'a

The terrorist Houthi militia kidnapped a Yemeni employee at the US embassy in Sana'a, in the latest Houthi repression that has been targeting, for months, workers in diplomatic missions, UN and international relief agencies, and civil society in the Yemeni areas under its control.

The English-language Arab News newspaper reported that an armed group of Houthis, including Zainabiyat policewomen, stormed the home of Mohammed Abdullah Shamakh, an administrative employee at the US embassy in Sana’a, on October 10 and kidnapped him, according to his friend, Yemeni journalist Sami Ghaleb.

Ghaleb, who spoke to residents of Sanaa’s al-Ziraa neighborhood, where the abducted man lived, said on Thursday that the Houthis raided the three-story building and ordered its residents, including children and women, to the roof. They then detained them, before storming and searching Shamakh’s apartment.

Shamakh's friend said that he was in a nearby market buying some necessities for his family when the raid took place, and was surprised when he saw the Houthis occupying his home. When he returned to his home, the Houthis kidnapped him, leaving behind a house in chaos and a terrified family?

The newspaper indicated that the US embassy in Yemen, which is now based in Riyadh, responded to its request to comment on the kidnapping of its employee in Sanaa, saying: “We are aware of this report but cannot confirm its accuracy at this time.”

The US embassy in Yemen has been closed since early 2015, and the diplomatic mission was moved to Riyadh, months after the Houthis seized power.

In 2021, the Houthis raided the US embassy compound in Sanaa, kidnapping Yemeni employees from the building, and kidnapping former and current embassy employees from their homes in Sanaa.

Lawyers in Sanaa said the Houthis recently referred six kidnapped US embassy employees to court and intend to try them on charges of espionage.

Over the past four months, the Houthis have kidnapped more than 70 Yemeni employees of UN agencies, human rights and international aid organizations, and foreign diplomatic missions, accusing them of spying for US and Israeli intelligence agencies.

Relatives of some of the abductees told Arab News that the Houthis had refused their requests to visit them in detention centers, contact them, or provide information about their conditions.

The office of the UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said on Wednesday that he had discussed with Nada Al-Nashif, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, efforts to release the UN employees kidnapped by the Houthis, and renewed his appeal to the Houthis to release them.

"The United Nations remains steadfast in calling for their immediate and unconditional release," he added.