Aden (South24 Center)

Several suspects have been arrested over the abduction and killing of Wisam Abdullah Mohammed Qaid, Acting Executive Director of the Social Fund for Development (SFD) in Aden, the state-run Saba news agency reported on Sunday (May 24), citing security sources.

The sources said search and investigation teams had launched extensive operations in the hours following the crime, which took place in early May. The operations included collecting evidence, analyzing CCTV footage, and tracking the suspects’ movements, in coordination with several security and intelligence units.

According to the sources, investigations showed that the perpetrators used rented vehicles and residential apartments in Aden to carry out the crime and hide afterward. Technical investigations and telecommunications data analysis also helped identify individuals and locations linked to the case.

The sources said security forces carried out a series of raids and field investigations that led to the arrest of several defendants and suspects accused of facilitating the operation or harboring the perpetrators. Vehicles and tools used in the crime were also seized.

Investigators have identified the main perpetrators of the killing, while efforts continue to pursue other suspects against whom compulsory arrest warrants have been issued, the sources said. Several detainees have been referred to the specialized prosecution to complete legal proceedings.

The sources added that investigations and forensic analysis showed the operation “was carefully planned and funded,” with indications that some suspects had previous criminal records related to killings and assassinations.

Qaid served as Acting Executive Director of the Social Fund for Development in Aden. He was known for his role in managing and implementing development and humanitarian projects aimed at supporting local communities and improving basic services across several Yemeni governorates.

His abduction and killing in early May sparked widespread shock in government and development circles, amid local and international condemnations that described the incident as a threat to the humanitarian and development work environment in the country. The incident also prompted the Yemeni government and international partners to stress the need to pursue those involved and strengthen protection measures for humanitarian and development workers.

On April 29, security authorities in Aden announced the arrest of several suspects in the killing of educator Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Shaer, saying they had uncovered an organized criminal cell behind the operation.

In a related development, the joint military-security campaign in Al-Shamaytain district of Taiz governorate announced the arrest of the main suspect involved in the killing of Hanna Lahoud, a Lebanese employee of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), who was killed in the Al-Dhabab area in 2018, according to Saba.

In a press release, the campaign said the arrested suspect was also involved in “a number of other terrorist crimes.” It added that, during the past period, the campaign had arrested the direct perpetrator of the killing of Jordanian national Moayad Hamidi, head of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Yemen, along with other participants in the operation.

The statement said the campaign had also arrested elements involved in assassinations, bombings, and terrorist attacks that targeted the governorates of Taiz, Aden, Lahij, and Abyan between 2008 and the end of 2025.