Jeddah – Yemen’s deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Hassan Arab announced that his ministry received the files of a number of suspects linked to terror activities.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that these files will be referred to the General Prosecution, which will in turn carry out investigations with these suspects ahead of judicial proceedings.

The Saudi-led Arab Coalition forces, specifically Saudi Arabia, have been playing a major role in training new cadres of the Interior Ministry.

Arab added that a new phase has indeed begun in Yemen whereby only a few days ago a number of vital temporary government positions were inaugurated in Aden. These positions include a joint operations center and a Defense Ministry administrative complex.

This is the beginning of allowing state institutions to regain their work in Aden, he stressed.

He revealed that the Interior Ministry had in recent days uncovered a number of sleeper cells that were about to stage terrorist attacks in liberated cities. Arrested by the security agencies, these cells possessed different weapons, including explosives.

Arab explained that these cells depend on the drug trade and the Yemeni government is exerting efforts to thwart the passage of large quantities of drugs from East Asia to Africa through Yemen.

These cells are members of the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, while some suspects confessed to having direct links to the insurgents in Sana’a. They revealed that they received orders from militia leaderships to carry out attacks aimed at destabilizing cities that are under the control of the legitimate forces.

Despite the discovery of the sleeper cells, the minister said that there has been a “significant” drop in bombings and assassinations in liberated regions.

Furthermore, Arab said that the Interior Ministry had devised a security plan that will be implemented in all liberated provinces. It will be launched from Aden in cooperation with the members of the Arab Coalition.