Published On 4/29/2026
Today, Wednesday, the Aden Security Administration announced the arrest of 4 main defendants in the assassination of the leader of the Islah Party, Abdul Rahman Al-Shaer, while hundreds of Yemenis, at a protest in Aden, condemned the assassination of Al-Shaer.
On Saturday, the Yemeni Islah Party announced the killing of Al-Shaer, in Mansoura, north of Aden, as a result of gunfire from unidentified gunmen who fled, without any party claiming responsibility for the operation.
The party’s official website said, “Unidentified gunmen assassinated the leader of the rally in the temporary capital, Aden, Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Shaer, this Saturday morning, in one of the city’s streets.”
He added that the poet “was assassinated while on his way to his school in the Kabuta area of Mansoura District to attend the 2026 Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Championship.”
Al-Shaer holds a leadership position in the party, chairs the board of directors of Nawras Private Schools, and is a prominent educator and academic.
The Yemeni News Agency (Saba) quoted a statement from the Aden Security Directorate that the investigation and tracking efforts resulted, in record time, in the arrest of 4 defendants in separate operations, and the location and seizure of the car used to carry out the crime, in addition to the seizure of one of the weapons used.
According to the statement, the results of the preliminary investigations revealed that the crime “was behind an organized criminal cell that was planning to target a number of preachers and imams of mosques, after carrying out prior monitoring and surveillance operations, which reflects the seriousness of this criminal activity.” The statement added that the investigations “led to the discovery of another cell linked to the case, where a number of its members were arrested, while efforts are still continuing to complete the dismantling of this organization and reveal all its extensions, while pursuing the rest of the fleeing elements.”
On Sunday, the head of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, pledged to pursue what he described as terrorist cells in Aden, following the assassination of Al-Shaer.
Protest
Aden witnessed a protest against the poet’s assassination, organized by activists in front of the Nawras National School, in the Mansoura District in Aden, which the poet was managing and in front of which he was killed.
The protesters raised pictures of the poet and banners denouncing the assassination and demanding that the perpetrators be quickly arrested and security strengthened.
A statement issued by the organizers of the protest called on the Presidential Command Council to assume its national responsibilities in protecting lives, preserving human dignity, and quickly uncovering the circumstances of this crime.
The statement also called on the Presidential Council to take a firm stance to ensure that perpetrators do not escape punishment, and to affirm the prestige of the state and the rule of law.
The past years have witnessed a series of operations and assassination attempts targeting leaders of the Islah Party in a number of governorates, especially Aden, since the outbreak of war in Yemen about 12 years ago.
