SANA’A — The Houthi-controlled Capital Police have issued a dramatic account of the killing of Dr. Wafa, a respected Yemeni physician, in a statement that has since come under intense scrutiny from activists and legal professionals who accuse the group of distorting facts and shielding its own.

According to the official version broadcast by Al-Masirah TV, Dr. Wafa was attacked shortly after exiting a currency exchange shop on Friday evening. As she approached her vehicle, two young men allegedly broke the car window and assaulted her. 

One of the suspects reportedly forced her into the back seat and attempted to flee the scene by driving the vehicle away. During the escape, a local resident, Abdulrahman Al-Suwaidi, opened fire on the car, fatally striking Dr. Wafa in the head.

The Capital Police claimed that all suspects had been apprehended and that investigations were ongoing. However, this narrative has been widely challenged by Yemeni activists and lawyers, who accuse the Houthis of staging a misleading account to deflect blame from their own ranks.

Legal sources have identified one of the main suspects as Issam Al-Aqeedah, a member of the Houthi-affiliated Special Security Forces (Quwat Al-Najda). According to multiple testimonies, Al-Aqeedah has a documented history of armed robbery, extortion, and violent assaults against civilians in Sana’a.

Calls are mounting for an independent investigation into Dr. Wafa’s death, with rights groups warning that media manipulation and protection of armed loyalists could embolden further abuses.

The case has become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over accountability and the rule of law in Houthi-held territories, where critics say armed actors often operate above the law with political cover.