NYN | News
Aden International Airport witnessed a controversial incident today involving the arbitrary arrest of Captain Mohammed Al-Mutawakkil, one of Yemen’s most prominent pilots, by security forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC). The arrest occurred as he was preparing to travel to Cairo for medical treatment with his family.
According to consistent eyewitness accounts, two security personnel boarded the plane just minutes before takeoff, asked Captain Al-Mutawakkil to present his passport, and then ordered him to disembark. He was prevented from traveling without any legal justification and was taken to an undisclosed location.
His son, Khaled Al-Mutawakkil, expressed his shock in an emotional post on Facebook, saying:
“Our father was taken from us, our peace was ripped away, and I couldn’t protect him or understand the reason behind this injustice,” calling for the immediate disclosure of his father’s whereabouts.
The incident sparked widespread condemnation on social media platforms, highlighting the recurring pattern of such violations against civilian professionals. There have been growing demands to end arbitrary arrests and to guarantee freedom of movement through Yemeni airports and border crossings.
It is worth noting that a similar incident occurred last January, when STC-affiliated forces abducted Captain Adly Mohammed Ali Baghdadi from the Al-Tarbiyah roundabout area in Khormaksar District, Aden Governorate.
