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“Let us be exposed.” Others told the family that Al-Absi did not possess the files that would justify his killing and that Mohammed had died of natural causes. Some even urged the journalist’s sisters to drop the matter: “You could be killed after your brother.”
The Autopsy
During the autopsy of Mohammed’s body, it was found that his internal organs were burned. The family took a sample from the body for testing in the Jordanian capital, Amman. The results showed that the journalist’s blood contained 67% carboxyhemoglobin, a level sufficient to cause death. The examination indicated that Mohammed Al-Absi died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Contradictions in the Investigation
The criminal investigation department under the Houthis did not carry out the necessary procedures to investigate Al-Absi’s assassination. One day, an officer from the criminal investigation unit visited the resthouse where the journalist used to sit and chew qat. The next day, the officer came to inform Al-Absi’s sisters: “Behind the place where your brother used to sit, there is an electric generator that emits carbon monoxide, and your brother inhaled it.” However, the officer did not explain why no one else who frequented the resthouse died or showed symptoms, except for Al-Absi and his relative.
The Assassination
According to expert analyses and conclusions we have reached, Al-Absi was assassinated using a chemical compound placed in his food or tea. When the body metabolizes the chemical, it converts into carbon monoxide, leading to death.
Obscuring the Truth
The Houthi-controlled Public Prosecution in Sanaa informally informed Al-Absi’s family and the defense team that it had decided to close the case due to insufficient evidence. One of the lawyers involved in the defense team (whose name we withhold for security reasons) stated that after being informed of the decision, they “submitted a request to the prosecutor to provide us with a copy of the decision so that we could take steps to appeal it. However, we found contradictory statements from specialists, with some denying that any decision had been issued in the case and others claiming that there was no case file at all.”
Hidden Details
Notably, the prosecution did not interrogate suspects linked to influential leaders within the Houthi group. The Free Media Center for Investigative Journalism holds intricate information and details about the assassination of our colleague Al-Absi, which we refrain from publishing, at least for now, until the course of justice is corrected and the perpetrators are punished.
Previously unpublished details about the assassination of journalist Mohammed Abdo Al-Absi are included in this report
(We attach the report: “The Assassins of the Black Market”
This report is part of the “For the Truth” project series, implemented by the Free Media Center for Investigative Journalism in partnership with the DT Institute.