Official: Rebels take U.S. Embassy vehicles, weapons
Story highlights
NEW: "No Marine handed a weapon to a Houthi, or had one taken from him," say U.S. Marines
Yemen has been in disarray, with leaders resigning and Houthi rebels taking over parts
U.S. Embassy officials burned documents and destroyed weapons, employees say
Sanaa, YemenCNN
—
Houthi rebels took all U.S. Embassy vehicles parked at the Yemeni capital’s airport and wouldn’t let departing U.S. Marines take their weapons with them, a top Sanaa airport official said about the latest evidence of unrest in an Arab nation long seen as key in America’s fight against terrorists.
The actions come after the United States, along with Britain, suspended operations at their embassies and moved out staffers because of the instability in Yemen.
According to the official, the Houthis seized many U.S. Marines’ weapons at the airport, and the American troops also handed over some to random airport officials.
However, a senior U.S. military official told CNN the Marines disabled their weapons and gave them to a Yemeni security detail, which had escorted them to the airport, because the Marines were flying commercial.
The U.S. Marine Corps sharply denied the allegations.
“All crew served weapons were destroyed at the embassy prior to movement. None of them were ‘handed over’ in any way to anyone. The destruction of weapons at the embassy and the airport was carried out in accordance with an approved destruction plan,” the statement read.
The statement continued: “To be clear: No Marine handed a weapon to a Houthi, or had one taken from him.”
The previous night, embassy officials burned tens of thousands of documents and destroyed weapons that were inside the Sanaa embassy’s storage warehouses, Yemeni employees of the embassy said.
Yemen has been an important country to the United States as the home of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, one of the most feared, influential and operational terrorist organizations in the world. U.S. officials have had a long relationship with Yemeni leaders, working with them to target AQAP militants.
But now, Yemen’s latest leader, President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, is gone, having resigned after Houthi rebels seized control of key government facilities, dissolved parliament and placed him under house arrest.
All this movement has left the Houthis – Shiite Muslims who have long felt marginalized in the majority Sunni country – as the pre-eminent power in Yemen.
Their takeover hasn’t been smooth and it’s not clear whether it will ever be complete. There has already been resistance to their attempted takeover of national government institutions from different groups in Yemen, particularly in the south, where there’s a long-running secessionist movement, and in the oil-rich province of Marib to the east of Sanaa.
Then there’s the question of what it means for the United States and its anti-terrorism efforts.
As of last month, U.S. officials hadn’t engaged in talks with the Houthis, though there were discussions about whether to talk to them.
Still, even amid the turmoil, the U.S. military remains active in Yemen.
Take, for instance, the killing of senior AQAP cleric Harith bin Ghazi al-Nadhari and three other people in a drone strike on their vehicle on January 31.
“They are still capable of conducting counterterrorism operations in Yemen, and frankly … there’s some counterterrorism training that’s still ongoing … with Yemeni security forces,” said Rear Adm. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman.
“I’d be less than honest if I said that there hadn’t been some adjustments already made because of the political uncertainty,” he said. “We’re just going to have to watch this closely going forward.”
Yemen’s government has been a key ally in the fight against AQAP, which has been tied to the failed attempt by “underwear bomber” Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab and Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan. More recently, the terror group has been linked to the slaughter at French magazine Charlie Hebdo.
“They are a very dangerous group,” said Kirby. “They do want to threaten Western interests, including U.S. interests, and we do consider them a threat to the United States of America. We’re watching them very closely.”
Photos: Unrest in Yemen
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The sky over Sanaa, Yemen, is illuminated by anti-aircraft fire during a Saudi-led airstrike on Friday, April 17. The coalition's warplanes have been carrying out strikes against Houthi rebels since President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi fled the country in late March.
Photos: Unrest in Yemen
YAHYA ARHAB/EPA/LANDOV
A Yemeni boy holds a rifle as Houthi supporters attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sunday, April 5, protesting airstrikes carried out by a Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels.
Photos: Unrest in Yemen
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Yemenis dig graves on Saturday, April 4, to bury the victims of a reported airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition in the village of Bani Matar, Yemen.
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Yemenis search for survivors in the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes on April 4 in a village near Sanaa.
Photos: Unrest in Yemen
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Central Sanaa is covered in dust on Friday, April 3. Airstrikes have turned the bustling capital of Yemen into a ghost town.
Photos: Unrest in Yemen
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A Yemeni man loads a TV set into a van as he prepares to flee Sanaa on Thursday, April 2.
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Militiamen loyal to Hadi take positions on a street in Aden, Yemen, on Thursday, April 2. Houthi rebels seized the presidential palace in Aden, a neutral security official and two Houthi commanders in Aden told CNN. The Houthis are Shiite Muslims who have long felt marginalized in the majority Sunni country. The Sunni Saudis consider the Houthis proxies for the Shiite government of Iran and fear another Shiite-dominated state in the region.
Photos: Unrest in Yemen
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A framed photo and a purse hang on the wall of a house destroyed by an airstrike near the Sanaa airport on Tuesday, March 31.
Photos: Unrest in Yemen
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Buildings burn at the Jabal al-Hadid military camp in Aden on Saturday, March 28. Yemeni military officials said an explosion rocked the camp that houses a weapons depot, killing and wounding several people. The camp reportedly had been taken by security forces loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Some of the forces aligned with the Houthis are also loyal to Saleh, who resigned in 2012 after months of Arab Spring protests.
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Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Yemeni supporters of the Houthi movement attend a demonstration against Saudi military operations Thursday, March 26, in Sanaa.
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People search for survivors under the rubble of houses destroyed by airstrikes near the Sanaa Airport on March 26.
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Members of Yemen's General People's Committee deploy in Aden, Yemen, on Wednesday, March 25. The militiamen are loyal to Hadi.
Photos: Unrest in Yemen
Hani Mohammed/AP
On March 25, honor guards in Sanaa carry the coffins of victims who were killed in suicide bombing attacks several days earlier. Deadly explosions in Sanaa rocked two mosques serving the Zaidi sect of Shiite Islam, which is followed by the Houthi rebels that took over the capital city in January.
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Alaa Amr Al-Ganemi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Yemenis stand in front of burning tires during an anti-Houthi protest in Taiz, Yemen, on Tuesday, March 24.
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Medics treat an anti-Houthi protester who was injured during clashes with pro-Houthi police in Taiz on March 24.
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Armed men inspect damage after an explosion at the Al Badr mosque in Sanaa on Friday, March 20.
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A man in Aden holds a police shield that he looted from a base belonging to forces loyal to Saleh on Thursday, March 19.
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Houthi supporters in Sanaa deploy giant national flags Wednesday, March 18, during a demonstration to mark the fourth anniversary of the "Friday of Dignity" attack. In 2011, forces loyal to Saleh opened fire on protesters who had gathered in Sanaa to demand the ouster of Saleh and his regime.
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Supporters of Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, the son of the former President, wave banners and shout slogans during a demonstration in Sanaa on Tuesday, March 10. The demonstrators were demanding presidential elections be held and that the younger Saleh run for office.
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A child raises his fist during a rally by Houthi supporters in Sanaa on Friday, March 6.
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Thousands of armed Yemeni tribal members gather in the southern province of Shabwa on Monday, February 23.
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AFP/Getty Images
Supporters of the separatist Southern Movement perform prayers during a demonstration in Aden on Friday, February 13.
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Houthi fighters guard the gate of the presidential palace where a bomb went off and wounded three people in Sanaa on Saturday, February 7.
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MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images
Yemeni soldiers guard the presidential palace in Sanaa on Friday, February 6.
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Members of the Houthi movement and their allies attend a meeting in the Yemeni capital on Sunday, February 1.
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Supporters of the separatist Southern Movement flash the victory sign after they seized police security checkpoints on Saturday, January 24, in Ataq, the capital of the Shabwa province in Yemen. Policemen were told to give up their weapons and return to their bases before the militiamen raised flags of the formerly independent South Yemen at the checkpoints.
Photos: Unrest in Yemen
MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images
Houthi rebels fight with Yemeni protesters during a rally in Sanaa on January 24. Thousands of Yemenis took to the streets of Sanaa in the largest demonstration against Houthis since the Shiite militiamen overran the capital in September.
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Hani Mohammed/AP
On Friday, January 23, Houthis carry coffins of those killed during recent clashes with presidential guard forces in Sanaa.
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MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images
A Houthi militiaman sits near a tank near the presidential palace in Sanaa on Thursday, January 22.
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Hani Mohammed/AP
Houthi men wearing army uniforms stand guard on a street leading to the presidential palace in Sanaa on Wednesday, January 21.
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MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images
A wounded man rests at a hospital in Sanaa on January 21. He was reportedly injured in fierce clashes the previous day.
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ABDULRAHMAN HWAIS/EPA/LANDOV
A tank is stationed in front of the Sanaa house of President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi on January 21.
Photos: Unrest in Yemen
MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images
A Houthi rebel mans a checkpoint near the presidential palace on January 21.
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MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images
A man walks inside a heavily damaged house near the presidential palace on Tuesday, January 20.
Photos: Unrest in Yemen
MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images
A woman walks past closed shops in Sanaa on January 20.
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GAMAL NOMAN/AFP/Getty Images
An armed member of the Houthi movement stands guard in the streets of Sanaa on January 20.
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MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images
A man surveys his damaged home in Sanaa on January 20.
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MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images
Houthis inspect a damaged mosque in Sanaa on January 20.
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Houthi men raise their weapons during clashes near the presidential palace on Monday, January 19.
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Stringer/EPA/Landov
Smoke and flames rise in Sanaa during heavy clashes between presidential guards and Houthi rebels on January 19.
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Ali Owimdha/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Tribal soldiers protecting the city from Houthi rebels stand guard at the city borders in Marib, Yemen, on January 19.
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Hani Mohammed/AP
Houthi men guard a Sanaa street on January 19.
Journalist Hakim Almasmari reported from Yemen, and CNN’s Greg Botelho wrote in Atlanta. CNN’s Jim Sciutto and Jamie Crawford contributed.
