Two spies among three sentenced to death in Yemen — rebel media

SANAA — A court in Yemen’s rebel-held capital sentenced three people to death on Saturday, including two for spying for Saudi Arabia, a news agency controlled by the insurgents said.

Two men were sentenced by the criminal court in Sanaa for “providing information to a foreign state and co-operating with aggressor state Saudi Arabia between 2015 and 2016”, the Saba agency reported.

A third man was sentenced for belonging to Al Qaeda, Saba said. 

The press agency did not specify whether the three convicts were present in court or if they were tried in absentia.

The Houthi rebels have controlled Sanaa and large swathes of the north and west of Yemen since 2014.

The insurgents are fighting forces loyal to an internationally recognised government, which since March 2015 have been bolstered by a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia. 

The Shiite Houthis are supported by Iran, although Tehran denies providing military aid.