Two people appeared on Tuesday in court facing charges related to having links with Al-Qaeda and assassinating 8 officers and soldiers in some of Yemeni provinces.

During the first sitting, the Specialized Penal Court in Sana'a heard charges against Mansour Saleh Daleel, 18, and Mubarak Hadi Al-Shabwani, 23 from Marib Province in the northeast.

They included that the two had formed an armed gang that targeted army and security officers and soldiers; committing banditry; looting a military convoy carrying weapons in Marib; and clashing with the security forces killing a soldier and arresting seven others.

Prosecutors said the two suspects had resisted the authorities with weapons killing in another incident two soldiers and injuring five others. They were also accused of killing officers in Hadramout Province.

Separately, the Specialized Penal Court in Yemen's western province of Hodeida sentenced on Tuesday a man to death after convicting him of trading and smuggling drugs into Saudi Arabia. Three other suspects were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

The convict was seized with 40 kg of hashish that the authorities said he had planned to traffic into the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.