Top Yemeni judge abducted, killed in Sanaa

SANAA, Yemen

A prominent Yemeni judge was killed on Thursday, one day after being kidnapped in the rebel-held capital Sanaa.

Muhammad Hamran, a member of the Supreme Court, Yemen’s highest judicial authority, was abducted by unidentified gunmen outside his house in Sanaa on Wednesday. Local media later said the judge was killed.

In a statement, Yemeni Information Minister Moammar Al-Eryani blamed a Houthi-affiliated armed group for Hamran’s abduction and killing.

The killing “came after a systematic campaign of incitement against Hamran by Houthi-run media,” Al-Eryani said.

"This heinous crime is part of a series of systematic crimes against the judiciary and its officials who refuse to comply with Houthi instructions,” he added.

There was no comment from the Houthi group on the accusations.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including Sanaa.

The Houthis remain in control of the capital, as well as wide swathes of territory, despite a military campaign conducted by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies since 2015 aimed at ousting them and restoring the Yemeni government.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report