AL-QAEDA CLAIMS DEADLY SANAA BOMBING

Sanaa, 17 Dzulhijjah 1435/11 October 2014 (MINA) – Al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen has claimed responsibility for a massive suicide bombing that killed dozens of Shiite Houthi demonstrators in the center of Yemeni capital Sanaa on Thursday.

Several Twitter accounts linked to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the group’s branch in Yemen, posted statements saying bomber Abu Muwaia al-Sanaani had managed to penetrate a gathering of Houthi demonstrators gathered in Sanaa’s Tahrir Square.

The bombing left at least 47 people dead and 75 others wounded, Anadolu Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, meanwhile, has ordered an investigation into the attack.

Houthi demonstrators on Thursday moved their protests from the vicinity of Yemen’s presidential palace to the nearby square after Ahmed bin Mubarak, the head of Hadi’s presidential office, turned down an offer to take up the post of prime minister.

The Houthi leadership had earlier expressed opposition to bin Mubarak’s appointment to the premiership.

The Shiite group has remained in control of Sanaa for almost two weeks, following three weeks of massive protests.

Yemen has been dogged by political turmoil since pro-democracy protests forced autocratic president Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down in 2012 after 33 years in power. (T/P001/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)