Yemeni security guards stand outside the parliament building in Sanna in 2015, the same year that a Yemeni lawmaker says he was targeted for assassination. Anssaf Ali Mayo is now suing former U.S. military members who he says were hired to kill him.
Mohammed Huwais/AFP via Getty Images
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Mohammed Huwais/AFP via Getty Images
A Yemeni lawmaker has initiated a legal battle in a U.S. federal court, claiming that former U.S. special forces, hired as mercenaries by the United Arab Emirates, attempted to assassinate him as part of a targeted killing program.
The lawsuit was filed in California by Anssaf Ali Mayo, a member of Yemen’s parliament and a key figure in the al-Islah party. It was submitted under the Alien Tort Statute, which permits foreigners to bring lawsuits in U.S. federal courts for breaches of international law.
Though the case centers on the alleged attempt on Mayo’s life, it also raises significant questions about the conduct of highly trained former U.S. military personnel abroad, as well as the involvement of the United Arab Emirates, a crucial U.S. ally, in Yemen’s civil conflict.
The defendants, Israeli-Hungarian Abraham Golan and Americans Isaac Gilmore and Dale Comstock, were associated with Spear Operations Group, a U.S.-based private military company. They face accusations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and attempted extrajudicial killing.
The lawsuit claims that Spear was contracted by the UAE to carry out a series of assassinations targeting perceived political adversaries in Yemen, including Mayo. The suit alleges that the UAE paid Spear $1.5 million monthly, with additional bonuses for successful hits.
“The individuals employed by Spear Operations Group, many of whom were former U.S. Special Forces, Navy SEALs, and Green Berets, were trained by the U.S. government at taxpayer expense,” stated Ela Matthews from the Center for Justice & Accountability, representing Mayo.
“They used their expertise to essentially market a killing program to the highest bidder, and they attempted to assassinate our client, a politician in Yemen.”
Court documents indicate that Golan, who lives in Connecticut, founded Spear in 2015 and was its CEO. Gilmore is a former U.S. Navy SEAL, and Comstock is a former U.S. Army Special Forces member.
Legal records do not mention an attorney for Goland or Gilmore, but note that Comstock is self-represented. NPR’s call to Comstock on Monday went unanswered.
The UAE Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment via email, though the nation has previously denied these allegations.
Mayo recalls the night he narrowly escaped death
The lawsuit alleges the assassination attempt on Mayo occurred on December 29, 2015.
According to the complaint, “The Spear Assassination Team tracked the Plaintiff to his political party’s headquarters and attempted to assassinate him by detonating a powerful explosive device on the building’s front door.”
In an interview with NPR, Mayo detailed the events of that night. He was at his office in Aden discussing music, art, and politics with journalists.
Mayo recounted, “One of the guys in the office mentioned a disturbance by the nearby bank and suggested leaving because the roads might get blocked.”
Mayo lived just a short drive away, so he decided to head home. “Just before entering my home, I heard the first explosion, and soon after, the second one,” he said.
At the time, Mayo thought it was just armed groups clashing near the bank, as gun battles were common in the city during the civil war.
Later that night, Mayo received a call from a fellow parliament member who was concerned after seeing online reports of Mayo’s assassination.
“I told him, ‘Thanks for calling, but there’s nothing to it. I’m home and I’m fine,'” Mayo recalled.
He only discovered later that the first explosion was a bomb at his office door, targeting him. A few days afterward, he fled to Saudi Arabia.
Spear acknowledges UAE-sanctioned targeted operation
Three years later, BuzzFeed News reported that former American service members turned mercenaries were behind the attempt on Mayo’s life.
The report included drone footage of the alleged Spear operation to kill Mayo, along with statements from Spear’s founder, Golan, who claimed he ran a UAE-sanctioned targeted assassination program in Yemen.
In 2024, Gilmore and Comstock both spoke with the BBC for a documentary on targeted killings in Yemen. Gilmore revealed that the UAE provided Spear with cards containing information on the intended targets, including Mayo.
Although Mayo survived the attempt, he said that night marked a significant turning point in his life, leading to his exile in Saudi Arabia.
“I’ve been living with fear and anxiety,” he said. “It has affected me psychologically, socially, and in my activities overall.”
Mayo is distant from his constituents as a parliament member and separated from his family.
“I only see them during brief visits when I can bring them to Saudi,” he explained.
Mayo expressed that the lawsuit aims to obtain justice and compensation for the impact the assassination attempt has had on him and his family.
“I hope this will prevent such actions from happening to others in the future,” he concluded.
