Hodeida security forces arrest seven suspects over kidnapping, torture of young boy

HODEIDA, Feb. 26 (YPA) – Security authorities in Yemen’s Hodeida province said on Wednesday they had arrested seven suspects accused of abducting and torturing a 13-year-old boy in Al-Mighlaf district, in an incident that has sparked widespread public outrage.

In a statement, the province’s security administration said local police acted after receiving a report and reviewing visual evidence at approximately 11 p.m. on Wednesday, the 8th of Ramadan.

The suspects were identified as Salah Qassem Shawqi, Mohammed Omar Abdullah, Abdo Jameel, Fouad Hassan, Zakaria Ibrahim, Basel Salah, and Ali Ibrahim.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects abducted the boy, identified as Ibrahim Balghith Rabat, 13, tied him up, and hanged him from a tree.

Authorities said the suspects attempted to set a fire beneath him, reportedly accusing him of taking a mango from a farm belonging to a man identified as Ali Saleh al-Jaradi.

Security officials said the suspects also recorded the incident and shared the footage on social media.

The boy was transferred to hospital for medical treatment, and his condition is being monitored, according to the security statement.

Authorities said the seven suspects, along with the case file and evidence, have been handed to judicial authorities to face legal consequences for kidnapping, torture, and sharing the footage online

The Interior Ministry emphasized that security forces will not tolerate any attacks on the dignity or lives of citizens, particularly the most vulnerable, including children.

It added that anyone who engages in acts of violence, intimidation, or terrorizing the community under any pretext will face justice.

@E.Y.M