Suspect Arrested over Deadly Yemen Red Cross Shooting

Security forces have arrested a suspect in connection with the shooting death of two Red Cross workers in a rebel-controlled area of Yemen, Saba news agency reported Thursday.

The suspect was arrested on Wednesday night in Amran province north of Sanaa, hours after an assailant gunned down the two Yemenis working for the International Committee of the Red Cross, Saba said.

The agency did not identify the suspect but said he was questioned by police and Huthi rebels.

The Geneva-based ICRC suspended its operations in Yemen following the attack.

The aid agency said an unidentified gunman opened fire on two ICRC vehicles after stopping them in Amran province, which has been under the control of the Iran-backed Huthi rebels since last year.

The Huthis, who control Sanaa and the north of Yemen, swept south earlier this year seizing second city Aden and forcing the government to flee into exile in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

But they have been pushed back north following months of fierce fighting and air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition which launched a military campaign in March in support of Yemeni government forces.