Suicide bombing kills two in north Yemen

SANAA // A suicide attack rocked a local market in Yemen's mainly-Shiite city of Saada killing two civilians, a Zaidi Ansarullah rebel said today.

The attacker detonated a bomb-laden motorcycle in the middle of the market, said the rebel, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The blast left another 11 people critically wounded.

The rebels, who belong to the Zaidi sect of Shiite Islam, have controlled the northern part of Yemen since a 2004 uprising they launched against the central government in Sanaa, complaining of marginalisation.

Tensions have lately been brewing between the government and the Zaidis, whom authorities in Yemen say are supported by Iran.

Tensions have also been running high between the Zaidis and Sunni extremists, with Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula — which has presence in the country's south — repeatedly criticising the rebels.

On Monday, authorities in Sanaa announced they had dismantled a bomb planted in a car parked outside a Zaidi religious centre headed by a rebel leader in the Yemeni capital Sanaa.