Al Qaeda plot revealed? Yemen says it stopped massive militant operation
Yemeni officials say Al Qaeda operatives were targeting oil pipelines and port cities, with an eye on the country's export infrastructure.
Yemeni officials say Al Qaeda operatives were targeting oil pipelines and port cities, with an eye on the country's export infrastructure.
Yemeni officials say the government has foiled a massive plot to attack the country's oil and export infrastructure, plans that may have been the subject聽of last week's聽Al Qaeda communications that triggered a broad US closure of its diplomatic missions around the world.
BBC News reports that, according to a Yemeni government spokesman, the plot involved the capture of several cities and destruction of pipelines. Had it succeeded, says the BBC's David Willis, the plan "would have given al-Qaeda control over a crucial aspect of the country's infrastructure."
The BBC's Abdullah Ghorab adds that Sanaa is seeing "unprecedented" security measures, with a massive military presence on the streets and around key locations, including foreign missions, government offices, and the airport. An unnamed Yemeni Interior Ministry official told CNN that several Al Qaeda operatives have arrived in Sanaa in recent days, spurring the heightened security.
The plot could explain the US decision to shut down some 20 embassies across Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia this week, which was earlier reported to be spurred, at least in part, by communications indicating the Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was preparing for an attack. According to reports earlier this week, those communications included an explicit order by Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri to AQAP chief Nasser al-Wuhayshi to carry out an attack as early as this past Sunday.
Further, reports the Daily Beast, the communication wasn't simply a direct message between the two -- rather, it took place during a conference call of more than 20 Al Qaeda operatives across the world.
The Daily Beast adds that "during the meeting, the various Al Qaeda leaders discussed in vague terms plans for a pending attack and mentioned that a team or teams were already in place for such an attack." The unspecified threat would explain the reasoning behind the government's broad mission closures, which some analysts have criticized as irrational 鈥� or "crazy pants," as Will McCants, a former State Department adviser on counterterrorism, told McClatchy.
The BBC writes that sources say the US is preparing special operations attacks against AQAP in Yemen. CBS News reports that at least six suspected Al Qaeda militants were killed today in a drone strike in southern Yemen, the fifth drone strike in two weeks.