In Yemen, a high-profile journalist and expert on al-Qaeda has been sentenced to five years in prison on allegations of aiding the militant group and its leaders. Abdulelah Shai has made a number of international media appearances for his work on al-Qaeda. He is known for his expertise on the group and making contacts with key members but has denied having any links to its activities. Speaking from his prison cell, Shai denounced his sentencing.

Abdulelah Shai: ’”I am not being held in the judicial system, I am held by the gangs of national security. This is not a legal verdict, this is a plot by those who have been condemned by WikiLeaks documents.”