[07/January/2009]

SANA'A, Jan.07 (Saba) – The Specialized Penal Court is to start next Saturday the trial of three members of a  spy network accused of working for the Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.

After investigations with the accused during which three of the six-member network confessed to working for Israel through communication with the office of Israeli PM Ehud Olmert and Mossad, Prosecution handed over the case file to the court in prelude for trial.

During investigations Basam al-Haidari, Emad al-Raimi and Ali Mahfal said they told Israelis they were ready 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.

Three will go on trial; however, three other members of the terrorist network, arrested in October, were set free for lack of evidence.

A security source earlier 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.

FR