Al-Hassan al-Murani: the Houthi operative weaving the militia’s web of alliances in the depths of terrorism

For years, the Houthi militia has been weaving a complex network of relationships with terrorist organizations across its regional sphere. Al-Hassan al-Murani is the man responsible for this network.

Al-Murani, who serves as deputy director of the Houthi Security and Intelligence Service for the Internal Security Sector, holding the rank of “major general” granted by the group, has become a central figure in managing the movement’s relations with Al-Qaeda-affiliated organizations. He is one of the key figures for understanding how the Houthis handle this sensitive and intricate file. This reveals Al-Murani’s role within the Houthi security structures before he became the mastermind behind terrorist operations extending beyond Yemen’s internal landscape to the Horn of Africa.

Positions and roles

The name Hassan Ali Amer al-Murani, known as “Abu al-Hassan,” emerged between 2017 and 2018 as one of the key Houthi security figures involved in managing economic affairs. At that time, he served as the “Director General of the Yemeni Economic Corporation” in Sanaa. During his tenure, Al-Murani coerced public-sector employees into working for the group, using intimidation and incentives, and sent dozens of them to die on the frontlines.

In 2019, he appeared in his real capacity as deputy director of the Security and Intelligence Service established by the Houthis on the ruins of the former Political Security and National Security agencies. He was also a member of the Supreme Council for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and International Cooperation, known as “SCMCHA.” While in SCMCHA, Al-Murani weaponized humanitarian aid, diverting it to the group’s fighters instead of rightful beneficiaries, and engaged in multiple forms of extortion against local and international relief organizations.

Terrorism deals

Although his official duties focus on internal security within the Houthi intelligence apparatus, Al-Murani’s name has recently been linked, according to local and international reports, to the direct supervision of operational and intelligence alliances between the Houthis and terrorist organizations, primarily Al-Qaeda. Al-Murani reportedly oversaw the release of dozens of Al-Qaeda members after subjecting them to sectarian and military indoctrination programs, preparing them for redeployment in intelligence and military missions for the militia.

One such figure is Khaled Mohammed Hussein Mashhour Qadri, formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda, who was recruited, linked to Al-Murani, and placed under the security operations of the Houthi intelligence agency. In another instance, Al-Murani acted as a mediator in September 2021 to recruit Al-Qaeda leader Abdallah Abdel-Ilah al-Mundhari, known as “Abu Ammar al-Mundhari,” who then convinced Al-Qaeda commanders to withdraw from the Al-Sawma’a district in Al-Bayda and move toward areas controlled by the Yemeni government.

According to the Yemeni research center P.T.O.C., Al-Murani, the head of the 30th Counterterrorism Division Mamoun Abu Owais, and commander Khaled Madaes are responsible for identifying and recruiting extremist elements, as well as coordinating collaboration between the Houthis and Al-Qaeda. A leaked document from last year

confirmed that Major General Al-Hassan al-Murani and senior Houthi officer Colonel Abu Haidar al-Qahoum were responsible for “the terrorism and coordination sector with the Mujahideen of Al-Shabaab, Al-Qaeda’s branch in Somalia,” under the supervision of an officer from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Al-Murani serves as a central conduit for recruiting Al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen and Somalia and facilitating their transfer to Sanaa for coordination with the Houthi intelligence leadership, making him part of a broader network of commanders and intermediaries who help channel terrorist elements into the heart of Houthi-controlled areas.