Trial of spies for Israel's Mossad to start next week

31 December 2008

SANA'A, Dec. 31 (Saba) - Three nationals accused of spying for the Israel's Mossad intelligence agency will go on trial next week, news agencies in SANA has claimed.

The prosecution will hand over the case file within the next two days to the Penal Court after investigations with the accused completed, the state-run news portal (26sep.net) quoted judicial sources as saying so.

Basam al-Haidari, Emad al-Raimi and Ali Mahfal will be tried after enough evidence against them was shown. Three of the six-member network, arrested in October will, however, temporarily be set free for lack of evidence.

Informed sources last week noted three of the network confessed during investigations to working for Israel through communication with the office of Israeli PM Ehud Olmert and the Mossad.

They said the contact took place via an unreal company FFRN. They said they told Israelis to transfer information about Yemen, an offer which was welcomed by the Israeli side. Israelis then told them they wanted them to conduct spy operations at the regional level.

A security source said the six-member ring was a jihadist network and had threatened to attack foreign and Arab missions in the country including the embassies of Saudi Arabia, Britain and the United Arab Emirates.

During the raid on the network’s hideout, security forces found items including a computer set, which revealed there was contact between the network and an Israeli intelligence service. During the correspondence, the network asked for help to carry out terrorist activities inside Yemen, the security source said.