According to the report, his arrest is part of a broader wave of detentions carried out recently by the Houthis, in which other senior officials were also arrested on similar espionage suspicions. As of now, the report has not been confirmed by independent sources.

Al-Khouri serves as the secretary of the Supreme Political Council — the Houthis’ highest political authority responsible for leadership decisions in areas under their control. He is considered one of the movement’s more visible media figures and frequently gives interviews to Arab and Iranian outlets, often expressing extreme hostility toward Israel.

In an interview with Iran’s official IRNA news agency on October 18, 2023, al-Khouri praised Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack, saying: “The Palestinian cause has shifted from defense to offense in response to the massacres committed by the Zionist entity — the world’s cancerous growth. Palestine cannot be abandoned, especially in this critical and transformative period.”