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Two French diplomats killed in al-Qaida assault in Yemen's capital: official

05 May 2014 21:35 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Two French diplomats were killed and another one wounded in an al-Qaida assault in the downtown of Yemen's capital Sanaa on Monday, a Yemeni interior ministry official said, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The attack took place in Hadda area, a few kilometers west of the French embassy in Sanaa. The injured was a French security officer at the embassy who has been rushed to the Republican Hospital near the scene, the official said, adding that the militants on a car sped away from the scene after the attack

But an official at the French embassy said that the targeted French diplomats were attacked near the French embassy, and they work for the European Union Mission in Sanaa in stead of the French embassy.

The interior ministry official said that investigation is underway to determine if it was an apparent kidnapping attempt or a direct assault.

Police have cordoned off the streets of Hadda area, the capital 's heavily-secured diplomatic hub where the attack took place. They are also searching for a car loaded with plenty explosions in streets surrounding the hub.

It was the second assault against foreign diplomats in a week in Sanaa. Last week, suspected al-Qaida gunmen fired at and injured a German diplomat in Sanaa after he resisted the kidnapping attempt.

At least six foreigners have been kidnapped in Sanaa over the past two months, including two British nationals and a German.

Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is still holding an Iranian diplomat since July last year and a Saudi diplomat since May 2012.

The Yemeni government has waged a wide-scale assault on al- Qaida strongholds in the country's southern territories since last week, killing scores of militants as the fierce battles are still going on. The AQAP has vowed to hit back.