Car bomb at US embassy in Yemen kills 16

Car bomb at US embassy in Yemen kills 16

SANAA ( 2008-09-17 16:46:53 ) :A car bomb set off a series of explosions outside the heavily fortified US embassy in Yemen on Wednesday and a Yemeni security source said at least 16 people, including six attackers, were killed.

A US embassy official confirmed that the blasts were caused by a car bomb and that there were reports of casualties.

"This morning a car exploded at the main gate of the embassy in Sanaa. There was an initial explosion and several secondary explosions," a US embassy spokesman told Reuters by telephone.

"We do have reports of casualties. Right now, I cannot confirm the number, nor the nationality nor the severity of the casualties."

A group calling itself Islamic Jihad in Yemen claimed responsibility for the bombing and threatened attacks on other embassies including those of Britain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

It had threatened in a previous statement on Tuesday to launch a series of attacks unless the Yemeni government met its demands for the release of several members from jail.

"We, the organisation of Islamic Jihad in Yemen declare our responsibility for the suicide attack on the American embassy in Sanaa," the statement read.

"We will carry out the rest of the series of attacks on the other embassies that were declared previously, until our demands are met by the Yemeni government."

Smoke was seen rising from the heavily fortified US compound in Sanaa and ambulances and fire engines raced to the scene, which was cordoned off by police, witnesses said.

The security source said that six attackers and four bystanders were killed, while the rest were Yemeni security forces.