Riyadh accuses Abu Dhabi of Aden bombing, targeting Hamdi Shoukry

RIYADH, Jan. 22 (YPA) – A Saudi academic close to decision-making circles in Riyadh, Awad al-Qarni, directly accused on Wednesday the United Arab Emirates of orchestrating the bombing that targeted Brigadier Hamdi Shoukry al-Subaihi, a senior commander in the Al-Amaliqa forces, in Aden city, south of Yemen.

In a series of sharp posts on the X platform, Al-Qarni asserted that Abu Dhabi carried out the Aden terrorist bombing, describing it as retaliation against the recent stability and progress witnessed in the city.

He said the attack was intended to undermine the security improvements and restoration of services that Aden has experienced in recent weeks.

Al-Qarni added that he had predicted, 18 hours before the incident, that the UAE would commit another “foolish act” to disrupt life in Aden following the resumption of public services and salary payments.

He argued that upcoming development projects further exposed what he described as the UAE’s false claims regarding its role in Yemen.

In a startling claim, the Saudi academic directly linked the operation to UAE citizen Hani bin Brik, alleging that the bombing was carried out by terrorist cells associated with him and coordinated on the ground with “yesterday’s comrades” in al-Qaeda.

Al-Qarni held the UAE leadership fully responsible for the attack, describing it as a desperate attempt to “shuffle the cards” and destabilize Aden, which he said has begun to regain a sense of civilian life away from militia influence—an outcome he claimed angers Abu Dhabi and its allies.

He added that the targeting of Hamdi Shoukry was not random but aimed at eliminating military figures who refuse to comply with Emirati directives, calling for a decisive response against what he described as criminals and agents seeking to spread chaos and corruption.

AA