Aiexpress – Four foreign nationals have been charged by the United States for allegedly shipping Iranian-made weapon parts to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. This shipment was seized by Navy SEALS in a daring raid last month off the coast of Somalia.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has recently made public an indictment against Muhammad Pahlawan, Mohammad Mazhar, Ghufran Ullah, and Izhar Muhammad. These individuals are alleged to have provided inaccurate information to U.S. Coast Guard officers following their arrest.
Pahlawan faced charges of illegally transporting a warhead, knowing that it would be utilized by Houthi rebels to attack commercial and naval ships in the Red Sea. This action was part of a larger campaign initiated by the group to protest the Israeli conflict in Gaza.
According to Matthew Olsen, the assistant attorney general for national security at the DOJ, Pahlawan made an effort to smuggle advanced missile components, including a warhead, to Houthi rebels. The intention was to use these components against cargo ships and vessels belonging to the United States.
“The Justice Department, along with its U.S. agency partners, is actively working to prevent malicious actors from possessing the capabilities to endanger international shipping and put the lives of our military personnel at risk,” stated Olsen.
On January 11th, in the Arabian Sea, a team of Navy SEALS conducted a mission to intercept a small boat known as a dhow. The dhow was transporting missile components and weapons parts to Yemen. The SEALS were deployed from the Lewis B. Puller, an expeditionary mobile base vessel.
The SEALS successfully apprehended 14 crew members aboard the boat and confiscated weapon components. These parts, according to the United States, were intended for the development of medium-range ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has revealed that all four defendants who were charged in the case had Pakistani identification cards. As part of the processing, they were transported to Virginia.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the components seized in the raid were determined to be of Iranian origin. It is worth mentioning that Iran supports the Houthis, as well as other proxy groups in the Middle East.
The Houthis have been relentlessly attacking commercial shipping since November, with reports of hijacking one vessel and claiming to have sunk another this week. Despite the targeted strikes launched by the U.S. since January to degrade Houthi capabilities, the fighters have persisted in their pace of attacks on the shipping industry.
Pahlawan could potentially be sentenced to 20 years in prison for the charges against him, while the other four defendants may face up to five years in prison for making false statements.
Attorney General Merrick Garland of the Department of Justice (DOJ) emphasized the commitment of the United States to take strong legal action against those who enable the transfer of weapons from Iran to groups like Houthi rebel forces, Hamas, and other entities that threaten the security of the U.S. and its allies. The U.S. government will utilize all available legal means to hold accountable those responsible for facilitating such dangerous activities.
