A statement attributed to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) revealed on Sunday, December 29, 2024, that the group has executed 11 hostages, including journalist Mohamed Al-Maqri, who had been kidnapped in October 2015 from the city of Mukalla in Hadhramaut, eastern Yemen.

The announcement, shared by Yemeni journalist and collaborator with UAE-based Al-An news channel, Asem Al-Sabri, on his X account, highlighted that the executions were disclosed following requests from families seeking information on the fate of their loved ones, who had been missing for several years.

According to AQAP, the executions were carried out after the group accused the hostages of espionage on behalf of Yemeni security forces, the United States, the Houthi movement, and the United Arab Emirates, claims that the detainees allegedly confessed to.

The statement specified that journalist Al-Muqri was executed during the time of his abduction, charged with espionage against national security. He was taken from his home in Mukalla amidst AQAP’s control of the city.

Also mentioned was the execution of Naji Al-Zuhairi, accused of spying for Yemen’s political security and the Americans in connection with the first U.S. drone strike in the Arabian Peninsula in 2002 in Marib. The group stated that Al-Zuhairi had confessed to spying against what they termed "the mujahideen for the enemy," leading to the judicial ruling and subsequent execution.

The statement further detailed the execution of what AQAP referred to as the "Al-Bayda Cell," consisting of nine individuals captured in the Al-Soma’a area before the group fled the region. Those executed included: Mohammed Ahmed Hussein Al-Izani (alias Dhamra), Mohammed Ahmed Bashab, Abdul Rahman Hussein Hadees, Al-Rasaas Alawi Hussein Ahmed Al-Rasaas, Abdul Aziz Mohammed Saleh Al-Hadi (known as Zinji), Hussein Mohammed Ali Al-Saadi (known as Mujahid Al-Saadi), Abdullah Ali Al-Izani (alias Al-Haywan), Yusuf Saleh Ahmed Mohammed Abdul Karim Al-Humuqani, and Hussein Ali Mohammed Hussein Al-Suwaidi.

Among the nine, four were accused of working for Yemen's national security agency, two for the Houthi movement, one for the United States, another for the UAE, and the last for the political security apparatus. AQAP alleged that these individuals had engaged in espionage against the group by implanting devices and relaying information to U.S. intelligence through Yemen's national security agency, as well as spying for the UAE and the Houthis.