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Attacks on British embassy, oil company in Yemen

06 October 2010 20:04 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Two separate attacks on foreign interests in Yemen Wednesday left one French national dead and several other people wounded, officials said, APA reports quoting CNN.
The first attack happened on a vehicle east of the capital carrying five British Embassy staff. One person inside the vehicle was hurt along with at least two people outside the car, the British Foreign Office said.
The second attack took place at the Sanaa office of the Austrian oil and gas company OMV, when a security guard opened fire. A French national who worked for the company was shot and killed, OMV and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
"This shameful attack on British diplomats will only redouble Britain’s determination to work with the government of Yemen to help address the challenges that country faces," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement.
Eyewitnesses and security officials at the scene said they believed it was a rocket attack on the embassy vehicle, based on rocket fragments they saw at the scene.
The vehicle was on its way to the embassy when it was attacked, the British Foreign Office said.
There were conflicting reports on the number of civilians wounded in that attack. Eyewitnesses said a local woman and her child were wounded and taken away by ambulance. An embassy spokeswoman said there was "one minor casualty" and security forces said three people were wounded, but not seriously.
The incident is under investigation and security officials were at the scene, Gen. Yahya Saleh, director of Yemen’s Counterterror Unit, told CNN.
The attack at OMV’s office left a French employee of the company dead and a British contractor wounded, the company said.
"OMV currently sees no political background for the action taken by the Yemeni security guard," the company said in a statement. "OMV is in direct contact with the contractor companies and the embassies to provide full support."
The gunman was apprehended and police were investigating, the company said.
OMV said it has been active since 2003 in Yemen, a country it says is a core part of its operations in the Middle East. It said it has high travel restrictions in place for employees there.
U.S. Undersecretary of State William Burns was in Sanaa on Wednesday for meetings with the president, foreign minister, and politicians. In a briefing with reporters, he addressed the relationship Yemen has with the United States and the challenge it faces in fighting al Qaeda.
"We believe that the challenge that’s posed by terrorists and violent extremists in Yemen is a very real one," Burns said. "We strongly support the efforts of Yemen and its security forces to deal with that challenge and we believe that the capabilities of the Yemeni security forces are increasing steadily. It’s in the interest of Yemen, of the United States and of the international community for Yemen to succeed in this effort, and that’s why Yemen can count on our continuing support."
In April, the British ambassador to Yemen survived an apparent suicide bomb attack on his convoy in Sanaa. The British Foreign Office said there was a small explosion next to the ambassador’s car but neither he nor other embassy staff were hurt.
The alleged suicide bomber was killed, the Yemeni Embassy in Washington said at the time.