U.K Ambassador Survives Bombing In Yemen

The U.K. ambassador to Yemen escaped a suicide attack on his motorcade today in the capital, Sana’a, four months after the Yemen-based branch of al-Qaeda tried to blow up a U.S. airliner.

Photo: U.K Ambassador Survives Bombing In Yemen

A suicide bomber blew himself up shortly before Ambassador Tim Torlot’s motorcade passed, about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the British Embassy, an Interior Ministry official at the scene of the bombing said. Three bystanders, a woman and two men, were wounded and hospitalized, said the official, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

The U.K. Foreign Office said a "small" explosion took place next to the ambassador’s car, according to an e-mailed statement. No embassy staff or British nationals were wounded, the Foreign Office said, Bloomberg informs.

Britain and the US temporarily closed their embassies in Yemen in January over fears of a terrorist attack. Reports reaching London said, while the ambassador was unhurt, one person died in the attack.

Police officers at the scene said the only casualty was the bomber and that the three injured bystanders had been rushed to a nearby hospital and confirmed the man was a suicide bomber, likely from al— Qaeda, and had been targeting the ambassador, The Hindu informs.