Trial begins for those accused of destroying Yemeni air defenses (+Names)
The Central Military Court held Saturday, its first session to consider Case No. (31) for the year 2022 regarding the destruction of air defense capabilities, missiles and batteries, of the Yemen.
The court decided to announce the defendants, seize their properties wherever they are found, and to postpone until the next session on March 13, 2022.
The defendants who are being tried are:
1- Brigadier-General Ammar Mohammad Abdullah Saleh Al-Ahmar, EX-undersecretary of the National Security Agency – a fugitive from justice.
2- Lincoln Bloomfield – Assistant Secretary of State for Military Affairs – a fugitive from justice.
3- Edmund James Hall – the former US ambassador to Yemen during 2001-2004 – a fugitive from justice.
4- Dennis Hadrick – Head of the US State Department’s Arms Removal Office – a fugitive from justice.
5- General – Robert Rommen – the former military attaché at the US Embassy in Sana’a – a fugitive from justice.
6- Hazem Frank, assistant military attaché at the US Embassy in Sana’a – a fugitive from justice.
7- Santo Polizzi – Liaison Officer at the US State Department’s Arms Removal Office – a fugitive from justice.
8- Nils Talbot, technical expert in the US State Department’s Office of Arms Removal, is a fugitive.
9- Mike Welch – an explosives expert in the US State Department’s Office of Weapons Removal – a fugitive from justice.
10- Cal Kejo – Explosives expert in the US State Department’s Office of Weapons Removal – fugitive from justice.
11- Ray Zharovich – an explosives expert in the US State Department’s Arms Removal Office – a fugitive from justice.
12- Stephanie Wecker – employee of the US Embassy in the US State Department – fugitive from justice.
13- Hania Sloper – employee of the US Embassy in the US State Department – fugitive from justice.
On March 2021, Al-Masirah TV showed a documentary ‘The War on Arms’, which reveals the US role in disarming markets and camps of the Armed Forces in Yemen. The documentary revealed recordings of the intelligence role of the US Embassy in Yemen, before the September 21 revolution.
The US State Department has sent its special envoy to Yemen, Lincoln Bloomfield, more than once with the aim of eliminating the threat of Man-portable air-defense systems.
The documentary showed a US State Department document dated September 25, 2004 about directives to former President Ali Saleh to urgently sign an agreement to destroy air defense systems.
The US State Department document indicated destroying 1,435 air defense systems in exchange for compensation of 7.17 million US dollar.
The documentary revealed a secret document on the National Security Agency of a meeting of Ammar Saleh with the US ambassador, Thomas Jacques, and the director of the CIA, in Yemen.
It also showed the National Security Agency offered more than once to expand the destroying of portable air defense systems with other weapons.
On March 8, 2008, the US embassy directed the National Security Agency to neutralize surface-to-air missiles between March 16 and 19, prior to a planned visit by Bloomfield to Sana’a, as indicated in the document issued by the embassy.
The US embassy document confirmed that the purpose of Bloomfield’s visit is to hold official meetings to discuss cooperation on removing the threat posed by shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles.
A document from the National Security Agency dated May 31, 2012 confirms the continuation of the plot to destroy MANPADS, under the pretext that they were leaked to the market after 1994 war.
A document issued by the National Security Agency on April 20, 2014 revealed the details of the destruction of Strela missiles at the Al-Sabha Special Forces camp.
The War on Arms documentaries also presented the exclusive testimony of a former national security officer who witnessed many stages of targeting Yemen’s weapons capabilities during the period 2000-2014.
The head of the Military Operations Authority at the Ministry of Defense, Major General Mohammad Al-Miqdad, said, “When the weapons were withdrawn, they alleged that the reason for this was to seize them so that they would not reach the hands of terrorists, especially Al-Qaeda. “
Maj. Gen. Al-Miqdad added: “I was a commander of the 122nd Infantry Brigade in Sa’adah when they demanded all commanders to assemble SAM missiles and send them to the Ministry of Defense because.
He stressed that the Armed Forces had possessed short, medium and long-range missiles that were destroyed by the US, as the country’s decision was for the former US ambassador. He indicated that Saudi Arabia tried to withdraw the eastern-made weapons, in exchange for giving Yemen western-made weapons.
For his part, Colonel Salih Qannabur, former commander of the campaign in the Ghamadan Brigade, said: “We were shocked by the US embassy’s access to an important part of the country’s military secrets, exposing the armed forces.”
Colonel Qanboor emphasized that the destruction of the anti-aircraft air defense missiles proves that the plan to target Yemen is old and does not relate to our current stage.
For his part, a former national security source said, “US concerns were about targeting its drones that carry out strikes in Yemen, as well as spy drones.”
The source indicated that in 2014, American experts began to disable the codrat and Pechora missiles batteries, and they turned into mere structures.
The source emphasized that there were various Pechora missiles scattered in different places on the coast, and the codrat missiles in heights and sensitive places, such as oil installations.
