Guard killed in blast near U.S. embassy in Yemeni capital

Al Mukalla, Republic of Yemen. The fishing port in Al Mukalla, the largest port on the Indian Ocean.

18 March 2008

Yemen — A Yemeni guard was killed in an explosion Tuesday near the U.S. embassy in the capital of San'a, a Yemeni Interior Ministry official said. Other local guards and some schoolchildren were also wounded in the blast.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity as Yemeni officials often do, according to protocol.

The official said the blast came after unknown attackers fired a mortar at a high school next to the American embassy in the downtown San'a district of Sawan. He said three guards and three children were wounded.

However, it remained unclear if the embassy or the school was the target.

Reached over the telephone from San'a, the U.S. embassy declined to comment, pending further investigation into the incident.

Heavy security troops were deployed to the area, sealing off roads and preventing journalists from coming closer to the explosion site. Security officials stopped an Associated Press reporter a kilometer away from the embassy building.

The school manager did not answer several phone calls made by The AP.

Further Reading:

U.S.: Yemen blast aimed at embassy