Yemeni security authorities have identified 70 militants belonging to al-Qaeda or to Shia rebel factions loyal to insurgent leader Imam Abdul Malik al-Houthi, and will be arrested in the next few days, pan-Arab daily al-Hayat reported. About 30 of the wanted militants are thought to be very dangerous, as they are reportedly followers of Osama Bin Laden.Yemeni security officials quoted by the paper said they are confident that in the next few days the wanted militants will be arrested, due to vital information provided by 11 al-Qaeda militants who were arrested in capital Sanaa earlier this week. According to al-Hayat , those arrested were directly involved in terror attacks in Sanaa during March and April and belonged to Jund al-Yemen, al-Qaeda's branch in the country.
| In the past, the authorities in Yemen have accused the Iranian government of financing the rebel movement led by al-Houthi. |
Also on Thursday, government troops arrested rebel leader Fadl al-Houthi along with Ahmad Daghsan, another al-Houthi field commander.
The Shia rebels together with the revival of al-Qaeda cells in Yemen represent the most important security threats in the country and have led to the deaths of hundreds of Yemeni soldiers. In the past, the authorities in Yemen have accused the Iranian government of financing the rebel movement led by al-Houthi.