Six gunmen arrested over armed robberies in Yemen's Aden
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E-mail Xinhua, July 17, 2017
ADEN, Yemen, July 17 (Xinhua) -- About six gunmen were captured Monday by security forces over a string of armed robberies carried out in recent weeks in Yemen's temporary capital of Aden city.
A special unit of Aden's police forces raided a building and arrested six gunmen in connection with armed robberies and other crimes in Aden province, a security official told Xinhua.
He said that the arrested gunmen are currently in custody and they are being questioned by intelligence officers.
A source close to Aden's police chief said that "initial information showed that the arrested men masterminded and carried out a number of burglary and armed robberies that targeted banks in Aden."
Meanwhile, several banks and exchange companies started Monday a three-day shutdown, suspending all financial services in protest of armed robberies and demanding protection from the government security forces.
The managers of more than 12 commercial banks and other financial companies urged on Sunday the leadership of the country's central bank and the Saudi-backed government forces to provide more protection.
The latest incident was an armed robbery that occurred last week when when masked gunmen stormed the National Bank's branch in Aden, leaving three people killed and five others injured.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the armed robbery attack, but al-Qaida gunmen and other terrorist groups have recently increased their attacks against Yemeni security forces across the country.
The southern port city of Aden is the headquarters of Yemen's internationally-backed President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government.
Aden witnessed several well-planned assassinations and armed attacks after Saudi-backed forces drove the Shiite Houthi rebels out from the strategic city in July 2015.
Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been gripped by one of the most active regional al-Qaida insurgencies in the Middle East.
The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), also known locally as "Ansar al-Sharia," emerged in January 2009, claiming responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks against Yemen's army and governmental institutions.
The AQAP and the IS-linked terrorists took advantage of the security vacuum and ongoing civil war to expand their influence and seize more territories in southern Yemen.
Security in Yemen has deteriorated since March 2015, when war broke out between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and government forces backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition.
Over 10,000 people have been killed in ground battles and airstrikes since then, many of them civilians. Enditem
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