Baku-APA. Yemeni security forces arrested five alleged members of the al-Qaida terrorist group in the southern port city of Aden on Thursday, a government official told Xinhua, APA reports quoting Xinhua.
"Initial investigations show that the arrested al-Qaida militants were involved in several terrorist acts in the past few weeks in Aden and were planning on carrying out armed attacks against military bases in the province," the local government official said on condition of anonymity.
The alleged al-Qaida militants were arrested when the security forces raided a house in Dar Saad neighborhood in Aden, the government source said.
Weapons including Kalashnikovs, suicide vests, hand grenades and laptops were confiscated from them, he added.
Meanwhile, the state-run Saba news agency said that "the security forces arrested five al-Qaida suspects in Aden. Another al-Qaida member was wounded and four others managed to escape."
The Yemen-based al-Qaida offshoot exploited Yemen's year-long security vacuum during protests against long-time ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh and controlled several southern cities for more than one year before they were driven out by a U.S.-backed offensive.
On June 20, Yemen's military officials announced that they seized al-Qaida's last bastion in the country's restive south following the military offensive. However, local military and anti- terrorism experts said the Yemeni al-Qaida branch remains a major threat to the impoverished Arab country.
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
