NAIROBI -- The British ambassador to Yemen narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by a suicide bomber on Monday, an assault that Yemeni officials said had the hallmarks of an attack by al-Qaeda.
A convoy carrying Ambassador Timothy Torlot was headed to Britain's embassy in Sanaa, Yemen's capital, on Monday morning when the assailant detonated his explosive-laden vest. The assailant died, but no one else was killed in the attack. Torlot was not harmed.
There was no claim of responsibility, but the involvement of al-Qaeda would indicate that the group has retained the ability to carry out high-impact assaults on Western targets, despite attempts by American and Yemeni counterterrorism officials to ratchet up pressure on extremists in Yemen.
Officials from the two countries have increased their cooperation since al-Qaeda's Yemen branch, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, claimed responsibility for the failed bombing attempt of a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day.
According to 26Sep.net, a Web site linked to Yemen's military and security service, the suicide bomber in Monday's attack was identified as Othman Ali al-Selwi, a 22-year-old student from the southern city of Taiz.
Read more here
No comments:
Post a Comment