Iranian to stand trial in Yemen on charges of spying for Israel

Yemeni authorities announced yesterday that they arrested a person who holds the Iranian citizenship in the southern Hadramaut province on charges of collaborating with Israel.

According to Yemen’s official news agency, on Sunday the prosecution completed an investigation into an Iranian accused of spying for Israel and seeking to spread the Bahai religious belief.

The agency quoted a judicial source as saying that the defendant was arrested in the city of Al-Mukalla in Hadramout last year and the security forces continue to peruse suspects in the same case.

The source pointed out that the prosecution completed the investigation and referred it to the Specialised Penal Court in Sanaa as a prelude to the beginning of the trial.

According to the indictment, the accused, Hamid Mirza Kamali Srostani, 51, lived in the Socotra archipelago and in Al-Mukalla while pretending to be a businessman.

The defendant is accused of a number of criminal acts that “affect the security, independence and unity of the Republic of Yemen. After he entered the Yemeni territory in 1991, he sought to establish a national home for the adherents of the Bahai faith in Yemen… under fake names.”

Prosecutors also accused him of “inciting a number of Muslims to renounce Islam and embrace the Bahai faith.”

It was not possible to get immediate comment from the Iranian or Israeli authorities.