Born: 27 December 1967;

Place of Birth: Sana’a, Yemen.

Activities:

Multimillionaire businessman and politician currently living in exile (probably in Turkey), after fleeing Yemen during the Houthi takeover of Sana’a in September 2014.

The son of Abdullah ibn Husain al-Ahmar, the former head of the Hashed tribal confederacy, which is now headed by Hamid’s older brother Sadeq, also living in exile.

Leader of the opposition party Yemeni Congregation for Reform, commonly known as Islah. Islah was founded by Hamid’s father Abdullah, and is the Yemeni branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Another leader of al-Islah is Sheikh Abd al-Majid al-Zindani, designated as a terrorist in 2004 by the US treasury department and frequently been described by the American administration as a close partner of Osama bin Laden. [source]

Perceived by many Yemenis as corrupt, inept and as a Saudi collaborator.

Was the main force in forming Saba Islamic Bank, together with a few business associates.

Saba Islamic Bank is now the largest Islamic bank in Yemen, and al-Ahmar is its chairman.

Hamid al-Ahmar and the Egyptian MB

On December 16, 2014, the Egyptian authorities have confiscated 1 billion Egyptian pounds (US$ 140 million) of funds owned by al-Ahmar. Al-Ahmar came to Egypt during the term of President Mohamed Morsi and met with him. The Yemeni tycoon offered to invest 500 million Egyptain pounds (US$ 70 million) in Egypt together with deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood, Khairat el-Shater. [source]

In late May 2013, al-Ahmar held a visit to Morsi’s Egypt, as the chairman of the board of directors of the Al-Quds International Institute (see below). [source]

On this occasion al-Ahmar also met with the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood–Ahmad Badi’. [source]

Al-Ahmar met with Badi’ again in August 2013 in Turkey, where he stressed the commitment of the Yemeni Islah Party in providing full support to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. [source]

Al-Quds International Institute

April 10, 2012 – The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated The Al-Quds International Foundation (“Al-Quds”) pursuant to E.O. 13224 for being controlled by and acting for or on behalf of Hamas.

The institute is headed by Yusuf al-Qaradawi.

Hamid al-Ahmar is the chairman of the board of Al-Quds Institute. In the photo above – Hamid al-Ahmar (second on the left) heads a delegation of the institute meeting the Yemeni president. In his position as the chairman of the board, al-Ahmar called for Jihad in “life, money and arms” to end the siege on Gaza.

Al-Quds International foundation (a.k.a. Al Quds Institute; a.k.a. Al Quds International Institution; Al-Quds Foundation; a.k.a. International Al Quds Institute; a.k.a. International Jerusalem Foundation; a.k.a. Jerusalem International Establishment; a.k.a. Jerusalem International Foundation; a.k.a. Mu’assasat Al-Quds; a.k.a. The International Al Quds Foundation; a.k.a. IJF);

Address: Hamra Street, Saroulla Building, 11th Floor, Beirut P.O. Box Beirut-Hamra 113/5647, Lebanon;

Website: www.alquds-online.org;

Email Addresses: institution@alquds-online.org; alquds_institution@yahoo.com;
info@alquds-city.com.

Hamid al-Ahmar and the International MB

In November 2014, Al-Ahmar’s Sabafon was accused of tax evasion in the sum of 325 million USD. According to the Yemeni Daily Al-Watan, Al-Ahmar’s companies are supported by the international MB that invests money through them. [source]

According to al-Sharq newspaper article from 2012, the Turkish government supported the Yemeni MB via its support of Hamid al-Ahmar – facilitating the establishment of his business empire. These relations started clandestinely during the reign of former president Saleh, and continued openly after his ousting. The Yemeni MB rewarded Turkey by granting Turkish companies franchises and agents in Yemen. [source]

In December 2013, Al-Ahmar met with Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi. In this meeting, al-Ahmar said that one of the blessings of the Houthi attacks in Yemen is the convergence of al-Islah with the Salafists in Yemen. [source]

From Wikileaks – American Embassy in Sana’a 2009

Ahmar, who splits his time between Jeddah and a palatial estate in Sana’a, is intimately involved in the everyday dealings of the disparate subsidiaries and affiliates of the business conglomerate he chairs – the Ahmar Group.

Post estimates that the majority of his official revenue stream comes from earnings at his telecom company Sabafon, the Saba Islamic Bank, various import-export companies, and his partnership with Siemens in the power sector.

To a less extent, he also derives income from serving as the local agent for the London-based commodity trading company Arcadia Petroleum, which regularly buys most of the ROYG’s monthly crude oil share, and from owning a string of Western fast-food restaurants. A number of our contacts, including Ahmar’s brother-in-law Nabil Khamery, have suggested that Ahmar, like his late father, receives generous cash payoffs from the Saudi Government, which he collects in Jeddah rather than through the Saudi Embassy in Sana’a. [source]

Actions against al-Ahmar’s property

Since taking control of the Yemeni capital of Sana’a, Houthi militants have targeted the properties and companies owned by Hamid al-Ahmar. Gunmen have taken control of all his homes, companies and investments. On November 16 2014, Houthi troops raided and took control over a branch of “Kentucky” (KFC) restaurant in Sana’a, belonging to Hamid al-Ahmar. The Houthi now run the restaurant, using it for their own purposes. Houthi forces also took over and locked the managerial building of the Yemeni Food Company, and raided the food stocks of Kentucky restaurants, located in this building. Al-Ahmar Group for Trading and Investment is the agent of “Baskin Robbins”, and Houthis took over a branch of this company in October. Houthis similarly raided the main offices of ENOC (Emirates National Oil Company) partially owned by Hamid al-Ahmar. [source]

In October 2014, the Central Bank of Yemen ordered to freeze all assets and bank accounts of Hamid al-Ahmar and his family members. [source]

On December 24, 2014, the Houthi forces raided the headquarters of American Occidental Oil Company (Oxy), arguing that its agent in Yemen is Hamid al-Ahmar. [source]