A group of men led by Security Belt Forces (SBF) commander Nabil Al-Mashoshi entered a money exchange shop in Aden on Wednesday and arrested some of its employees.

Surveillance footage circulated on social media shows the men, some armed, filing into a branch of Namaa, the money exchange company that the Saudi-led coalition has entrusted with disbursing salaries to Yemeni military forces including the SBF. Al-Mashoshi is seen confronting two workers, who are then surrounded by the group of men and escorted out of a room in the shop. 

The family of one of the Namaa workers, Mohammad Shuaib, confirmed that he was arrested and is being detained by the SBF, a paramilitary group loyal to the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC). STC spokesman Nizar Haitham told Almasdar Online he wasn’t aware of the event, noting that the council was busy dealing with Aden’s five confirmed cases of coronavirus.

The STC declared a state of emergency and self-administration in Aden and other southern governorates over the weekend in a move that has been roundly rejected by Yemen’s internationally recognized government, as well as regional and international powers.

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Edited by Ahlam Mohsen and Casey Coombs