Yemeni forces today killed at least two al-Qaeda militants they said were behind a threat that forced the US and European embassies to shut as concerns grew about the impoverished Arab country's stability.
The raid took place after the attempted bombing of a US-bound plane on Christmas Day thrust Yemen into the foreground of the US-led war against Islamist militants.
"Security authorities had been monitoring them for several days and struck today," a Yemeni security official told Reuters. "These elements are believed to be behind the threats directed to the US embassy."
The US embassy in Sanaa stayed shut for a second day in response to what it said was al-Qaeda threats. Britain's embassy has also been closed since Sunday.
Other European countries, including France and Italy, limited access to their embassies today, as did Japan.
Security has been high in a residential area of Sanaa that houses several embassies since before the current threats, with army vehicles blocking several streets.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Yemen branch of Osama bin Laden's network, claimed responsibility for the December 25th attempt to blow up a US passenger plane carrying 300 people.
It said the attempt was retaliation for US involvement in Yemen and its support for the government's offensive against the militants.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old Nigerian accused of trying to blow up a plane as it approached Detroit, spent time in Yemen last year where US. officials believe he received training from a militant group.
Reuters