Aden (South24 Center)

After years of ignoring repeated calls by the Southern security forces to arrest former Commander of the Transport Brigade Amjad Khaled, the Yemeni government has finally acknowledged his involvement in leading a terrorist cell directly linked to the Houthis and extremist organizations. This is considered a crucial step in terms of security, although it has come late.  

This came during a meeting of the Supreme Security Committee on Saturday, June 28, headed by Rashad Al-Alimi, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) and attended by Prime Minister Salem Bin Brik along with several senior security and military leaders. 

Detailed intelligence reports were reviewed during the meeting regarding a cell led by Khaled involved in assassinations, bombings, and espionage for the Houthis, in addition to supplying coordinates and sensitive security information to target Southern and civilian leaders. 

The committee revealed that Khaled’s cell established its main base in the Al-Shamayatayn district of Taiz governorate. It prepared car bombs and explosive devices inside residential homes, and used the tools of visual documentation of assassinations and killings to trigger the internal collapse of cities and governorates. The cell has received direct support from prominent Houthi leaders, notably Abdulqader Al-Shami and Mohammed Abdulkarim Al-Ghamari. 

According to the Supreme Security Committee, Amjad Khaled’s cell was behind the assassination of UN official Moayad Hamidi, Director of the World Food Programme, in the city of Al-Turba in July 2023, in an attempt to undermine international confidence in the government and obstruct the work of humanitarian organizations in the government-controlled areas. 

The cell was also involved in the bombing of the convoy of Aden Governor Ahmed Hamed Lamlas in October 2021. Furthermore, it has been behind the kidnappings and assassination attempts targeting security and religious leaders in Aden, Lahj, Taiz, and Al-Bayda. 

The statement also said the cell engaged in sharing intelligence information with the Houthis as part of a regionally supported plan backed by Iran. 

In a development that sparked widespread controversy, Amjad Khaled featured in a leaked video published in early June, in which he publicly threatened leaders of the Islamist Islah Party and vowed to release what he described as “recordings of agreements and pledges” between him and political and military leaders in the party. 

The video was considered evidence about the political protection Khaled enjoyed despite being sentenced to death in absentia by the Aden judiciary as well as his confirmed involvement in terrorist operations. 

This announcement comes nearly two weeks after a statement by the Security Committee in Taiz announced the capture of a terrorist cell linked to the killing of UN official Moayad Hamidi, along with the seizure of weapons, explosives, and car bombs. 

Despite Khaled’s public appearances in televised interviews on Al-Mahriah TV, which is affiliated with the Islah Party, the Yemeni government ignored repeated demands for his arrest and prosecution for years.  

The Security Committee meeting delivered direct instructions to contact friendly and allied countries and Interpol to pursue Khaled and others, with an emphasis on raising alert levels and security readiness. 

This move marks the first official acknowledgment by the PLC of the dangerous role played by Amjad Khaled, in a significant shift after years of negligence. The step also serves as a real test of the government’s seriousness in holding those responsible for terrorism accountable, particularly acts that have targeted the Southern cities.