Security Official Reveals UAE Involvement in the Assassination of Former Aden Governor Jaafar Mohammed Saad
Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
Brigadier General Nasr Al-Shathli, the former commander of the personal guard of the late Aden Governor Major General Jaafar Mohammed Saad, revealed details of the United Arab Emirates’ involvement in his assassination by a car bomb west of the city in 2015.
Al-Shathli explained in statements to the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan that the dispute arose after direct Emirati pressure on the governor to hand over ports, military bases, and Yemeni islands to figures loyal to the UAE, but Jaafar categorically refused to do so.
He said this stance resulted in Emirati retaliatory measures, including a field blockade that prevented him from entering Aden’s port and airport, in addition to military pressure through halting the supply of weapons, ammunition, and allowances to his forces.
He pointed to suspicious movements two days before the crime, noting that Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, Hani bin Buraik, and Shalal Shaye’a arrived secretly in Aden aboard a private Emirati aircraft under the cover of darkness.
He also revealed that the car bomb was prepared in a yard in the city of Al-Burayqah under the supervision of an Emirati officer and members of former extremist groups, after which it moved through Al-Mansoura and a yard near the Ministry of Electricity in Al-Mualla to the targeted location.
The operation was facilitated by the disappearance of three military checkpoints along the route of the car bomb, coordinated between Shalal Shaye’a and Emirati officers.
He confirmed that the political consequences were immediate: Al-Zubaidi was appointed governor of Aden to succeed Jaafar, Bin Buraik as his deputy, and Shalal Shaye’a as director of Aden’s security.
He added that following the crime, Emirati efforts focused on buying loyalties and mobilizing media figures to cover up the incident, offering incentives such as jobs and housing, and even appointing the martyr’s brother as a deputy minister in the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to ensure silence.
