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A Yemeni lawmaker, Anssaf Ali Mayo, filed suit in federal court in San Diego alleging that U.S. military veterans who worked for a private security firm were hired in 2015 to attempt to assassinate him on behalf of the United Arab Emirates. Mayo, who is represented by the Center for Justice & Accountability, said the effort reflected a broader campaign by the UAE that targeted political opponents. The complaint was unsealed last week and described allegations involving former executives and employees of Spear Operations Group, a private military contracting firm that incorporated in Delaware in 2015 and was dissolved in 2018.

Mayo’s lawsuit alleges that Spear received $1.5 million per month from the UAE, along with bonuses for successful killings in Yemen, including killings tied to Mayo. The complaint says many of Spear’s employees were former U.S. special forces operators. It accuses Spear founder and CEO Abraham Golan and two military veterans of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and an attempted extrajudicial killing.

According to the complaint, Golan recruited U.S. military veterans for what the suit describes as an assassination campaign. The lawsuit names former Navy SEAL Isaac Gilmore, who later became Spear’s chief operating officer, and former U.S. Army Special Forces member Dale Comstock. Mayo’s filing says the three men have admitted to their roles in an assassination campaign and the attempt on Mayo’s life.

In remarks reported by BuzzFeed News, Golan confirmed what he described as a targeted effort in Yemen. “There was a targeted assassination program in Yemen,” Golan told BuzzFeed. “I was running it. We did it. It was sanctioned by the UAE within the coalition.”

The lawsuit also describes where the alleged planning and coordination took place. It says that at the time, Golan and Gilmore lived in the San Diego area and held meetings there about the plans.

The filing says the allegations echo reporting from 2018 by BuzzFeed News about U.S. veterans behind an attempt on Mayo’s life. It also includes a description of what happened on Dec. 29, 2015: Mayo said Spear planted explosive devices at his office building in Aden in southern Yemen, and he fled minutes before the explosion. After the attempt on his life, Mayo said he fled his homeland for Saudi Arabia.

Mayo’s suit frames the case as one that can be heard in the U.S. using the Alien Tort Statute, which allows foreigners to sue in U.S. federal court for violations of international law. The UAE has said it supported counterterrorism operations in Yemen but denied targeting political opponents. The Emirati foreign ministry and the UAE embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the lawsuit, according to the Associated Press.

In a statement, Daniel McLaughlin, legal director for the Center for Justice & Accountability, said the case highlights the importance of prosecuting illegal actions by former U.S. military members. “Our government has a duty to regulate how former members of our military use their training and know-how, and a responsibility to hold them accountable when they break the law,” McLaughlin said. Gilmore and Comstock did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment, and the AP said it was not able to reach Golan.