Security forces in the southern Yemeni city of Aden arrested 10 members of an extremist partner in the internationally-recognised government, the Islah party said on Wednesday.

Aden is dominated by local forces backed by the United Arab Emirates, a key member of the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen's civil war in 2015 to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power but is hostile toward extremists.

The arrests could raise tension within the coalition fighting the Houthi movement and forces loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh who seized much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, and drove Hadi into exile.

Islah said security forces raided the home of its number two man in Aden, Mohammed Abdel-Malek, and arrested him, along with a member of the party's local Shura Council as well as a local militia commander.

 

Security forces also closed down the party's office in the Al Qaloua district of Aden, Islah said in a statement.

A security source in Aden confirmed four people were arrested and said the move was related to the assassination of an imam in Aden on Tuesday by a bomb planted in his car.

It was unclear if the arrested Islah members had been formally charged.

"(Islah) directs a call to public opinion, the government and the coalition demanding they shoulder their responsibility to swiftly release brother Abdel-Malek and his colleagues and to stop these arbitrary measures," Islah's statement said

Source : Times of oman