Yemeni journalist killed in Mukalla car bombing as government orders probe

Cairo,UPDATED: Jun 25, 2026 22:10 IST

A Yemeni journalist working for the Saudi-backed television networks Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath was killed in a car bombing in southeastern Yemen, while the country’s internationally recognised government said investigators had been ordered to find those responsible.

Mohamed Eida was killed late on Wednesday when an explosive device planted in his car went off in the port city of Mukalla in Hadramout province, according to the broadcaster. The network said local authorities had warned him about a month ago that his life was at risk. A relative, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal, said Eida’s body had not been returned to his family and that authorities told them it would be held pending the investigation.

The death and the bombing were confirmed by Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council, the leadership body of the country’s internationally recognised government. A council statement said he had directed local authorities to investigate the attack.

Al-Alimi did not say who was suspected of carrying out the bombing. However, Al-Hadath reported, citing unidentified sources, that two suspects had been arrested and authorities were searching for a third.

The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate condemned the bombing as a “terrorist” attack and called it a flagrant violation of press freedom, saying it showed the country remained unsafe for journalists. It said allowing those responsible to escape justice would encourage more such attacks, threaten the safety of journalists and violate national and international laws guaranteeing freedom of expression.

UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg also condemned the killing in a statement on Thursday. He called for the protection of media professionals and welcomed the “continued efforts to establish the facts, ensure accountability, and strengthen public confidence”.

According to the journalists syndicate, Eida had fled the capital, Sanaa, some years ago after being pursued by Houthi rebels, who are the de facto authorities there. It said he had been working at the time as a correspondent for the US-funded broadcaster Alhurra. Al-Arabiya reported that he was forced to leave Sanaa for Aden after armed men tried to arrest him, and that they also raided his home and stole his belongings, though the broadcaster did not identify the men. Eida later joined the network in Mukalla.

Yemen has been fractured by more than a decade of civil war that began when the Iran-backed Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, forcing the internationally recognised government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition that included the United Arab Emirates later intervened in an attempt to restore the government. The risks for journalists have remained high, with reports that more than 30 journalists were killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting the Houthis in Sanaa last September during a series of attacks between Israeli forces and the group, which said it was targeting Israel in response to the war in the Gaza Strip.

Eida’s killing in Mukalla has drawn condemnation from journalists’ groups and the UN, as authorities investigate the bombing and questions remain over who carried out the attack.

With PTI Inputs

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