Yemen court upholds Israel spy's death sentence

A death sentence for a Yemeni man, Bassam Abdullah al-Haidari, convicted of spying for Israel has been upheld by an appeals court.

In March 2009, a state security court sentenced the 27-year-old to death after convicting him of establishing contacts with the office of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Prosecutors have told the court that al-Haidari had sent e-mails to the Israeli premier, offering to work for Mossad.

They said the defendant received a positive response from Israeli officials, who allegedly welcomed the offer.

A three-year prison term for another convict in the case, Emad Ali al-Raimi, 24, was also confirmed by the appeals court. The court also lowered the sentence for a third convict Ali Abdullah al-Mahfal, 25, from five to three years.

The three men were part of a group of six suspects arrested in October 2009 over alleged links to Mossad. The three remaining suspects were released before trial, due to lack of evidence.

Arrests were made one month after a bombing outside the US embassy in Sana'a, the responsibility for which was later claimed by al-Qaeda.

Officials have said the group sentenced Monday operated under a fake name, the "Islamic Jihad of Yemen," and issued false statements claiming responsibility for the US embassy attack, in which 18 people were killed, including six attackers.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122355§ionid=351020206.