HODEIDA, Aug. 8 — An official delegation of Hodeida governorate met with President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi to discuss the Hodeida airport hijacking by influential figures affiliated with the air force. The meeting resulted in the formation of a committee from the visiting team.

Hassn Haij, general secretary of the local council in Hodeida, revealed to the Yemen Times that the attackers’ names are Faisel Ahmed Al-Sulaihi, the commander of the Air Forces; Ahmed Mujahid Al-Kharashi, the commander of Battalion 30, Air Defense; Abdulmalik Al-Mohammadi, the commander of the air police in the airport; and others.

Haij said lands were distributed to some officers in the 67 Brigade in Hodeida and Battalion 30, Air Defense so as to be their residence. Those officers sold the land under the name of associations at that time.

“Now they return to control the lands by force,” Haij said.  

“We awaited the defense minister to look into the issue of the hijacking of 2,000 meters of the airport campus and to pay a visit to us; nothing happens,” Ali Al-Twaiti, the deputy head manager of Hodeida airport, said.

He said there was a peaceful demonstration calling for the emancipation of the airport from the hijackers, but it ended after Central Security Forces stopped them.

Al-Twaiti said construction in the vicinity of the airport exposes it to danger of surveillance let alone the airport may flout the standards of international airports.

“The airport could be subjected to closing,” he said.