Houthi rebels storm Brotherhood office again

Armed Houthi rebels have stormed the office of Al-Islah Party in Sanaa for the second time. A local source told Anadolu that the incident targeting the party, which is affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood, took place on Monday evening.

“They looted everything in the office,” he claimed, “and confiscated the mobile phones of the guards.” The rebels, the source added, are still monitoring the office and preventing anyone from entering. “They ‘kidnap’ those who insist on going in,” he said.

According to Anadolu, the Houthis raided the same office on Sunday and abducted four party members, taking them to an undisclosed destination. A statement from the Houthis claimed that the four men who were taken away are members of Al-Qaeda, including Habib Al-Areeki, a leading official of Al-Islah Party.

A member of the Houthi political council refused to comment on the incident, adding that he needs to know the facts of the situation before saying anything about it. When asked by Anadolu about the kidnapping of the four members of Al-Islah Party, however, he insisted that they were “arrested, not kidnapped”. He gave no reason for the arrests.