Khyber News

SANAA: Yemen has foiled a plot by an al Qaeda-linked cell to carry out attacks inside the capital Sanaa and seized 40 belts packed with explosives, the mayor said on Wednesday.

The Defence Ministry said seven militants had also been detained in the southern town of Jaar, where a suicide bomber killed 45 tribal fighters earlier this week and threatened further attacks on a bigger scale.

Yemen declared victory in June over militants calling themselves Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), but they continue to pose a serious threat in a country that borders top oil producer Saudi Arabia, despite losing control over territory they controlled for most of last year.

A local official said the target of the suicide bombing earlier this week - Abdul Latef Sayed, the head of a tribal fighting force - had narrowly escaped death again on Wednesday.

Militants had parked a car loaded with explosives outside his house in Jaar, the official said. -- Reuters