Shabwa police bust terror cell in Yemen's Ataq

Shabwa province police on Sunday (September 10th) arrested three members of a terror cell that had been planning to assassinate senior officials in the southern Yemeni province, local officials said.

The arrests followed a shootout in the provincial capital of Ataq, during which the cell's ringleader and another cell member were wounded, local media reported.

The ringleader had been behind a terrorist attack that targeted soldiers in Rudum district in January, media reports revealed.

According to Shabwa police chief Brig. Gen. Awad al-Dahbul, a security force on Sunday night raided the cell's hideout in Ataq and arrested three terrorists.

The arrests were made following a shootout in which ringleader Sultan Warzan, also known as "Abu Hodaifa" and another member were wounded, he said.

The cell had been planning to assassinate senior officials in the province, he said, adding that Warzan had been behind the killing of security personnel in Rudum district in January.

“The security agencies are proceeding with their efforts to arrest the remaining cell members and bring them to justice,” he told Al-Mashareq.

Al-Dahbul urged tribal leaders and Yemeni citizens to help the security forces by reporting all suspects to the authorities.

“Security in the province is noticeably and consistently improving after the defeat of al-Qaeda elements in their hideouts in some areas of Shabwa province, thanks to co-operation by tribesmen and citizens,” he said.