SANAA // A longtime Yemeni employee of the US Embassy in Sanaa was shot dead by masked gunmen using a motorcycle yesterday, according to interior ministry officials.
Qassem Aqlan, who had worked for the embassy in security and translation for 20 years, was shot on Siteen Street while on his way to work.
An interior ministry official claimed the shooting seemed to be an Al Qaeda attack and said the assailants fled the scene unharmed.
The killing fits a pattern in Yemen where intelligence, military and security officials have been the targets of assassinations.
Yemeni officials condemned the attack, and promised to hold accountable those behind.
"Aqlan held a high security position among Yemenis at the embassy," an interior ministry official said.
He was involved in the inquiry into a mob attack on the embassy last month in which four of those protesting against an anti-Islam film were killed.
"He was trusted by the US side and was deeply involved in their security procedures," added the official.
The US Embassy in Sanaa refused to comment yesterday.
The attack resembled previous attempts by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) targeting security officials and politicians. At least 19 security officials have been assassinated in Yemen this year, mostly in southern provinces. Al Qaeda accuses Yemen of being an ally of the US, and most of the assassinated officials have been involved in the country's counter-terrorism efforts.
On Tuesday AQAP executed three Yemeni citizens it accused of being spies, the defence ministry reported.
The victims were beheaded and thrown to the streets in the province of Mareb. The ministry said that a CD found next to the dead bodies showed the men admitting that they are government informants within Al Qaeda. The men said they had placed tracking devices inside cars that were then targeted by US drone strikes.
AQAP has exploited the political instability in Yemen that led to the toppling of Ali Abdullah Saleh last year.
His successor, Abdrabu Mansur Hadi, launched a major offensive against the militant network and vowed to continue fighting AQAP until they lay down their arms and surrender. Al Qaeda has resorted to motorcycle attacks after government forces were able to retake towns previously controlled by the militants in April. On Wednesday, armed militants attacked a security checkpoint in Yemen's southern city of Al Dali, injuring two policemen, one of them seriously.
The controversial US drone policy has sparked anti-US outrage in Yemen because civilians have been killed in the attacks. "More and more anger is growing towards the US because of its random drone attacks in Yemen and this will hurt the country efforts to uproot Al Qaeda rather than help it," said Mohammed Al Khobari, a Sanaa-based expert on terrorism.
"Yemenis are starting to believe the growing US involvement is only making Al Qaeda stronger."
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
