Attack on US Embassy in Sana’a – What Next?

Backstory: The leader of Al-Qaeda in Yemen was killed earlier this year in Tarim. In the shootout some of his henchmen were captured and imprisoned. A number of the group members escaped, or, were not involved in the action and presumably held in reserve for future attacks. In the days leading up to the recent US Embassy attack, the government was warned that an attack will happen on the day during Ramadan that coincides with the day Mohammad fought with the inhabitants of Medina, unless the prisoners from the Tarim incident were released. The President said no.

The US Embassy Attack 17th September 2008: Sometime between 8am and 9am – a security guard shift change – 2 vehicles loaded with explosives approached the US embassy gates. Inside the second vehicle were assailants with machines guns and RPGs. There seems to be have been some disorganisation amongst the attackers in that the plan should have been to bomb the guard post, remove the barricades, bring the second car bomb and RPGS in, take out the front entrance to the embassy itself and then storm it with the weapons. It seems the shooting was started by the assailants before even the first car bomb went off.

The nature of the attack is reminiscent of the October 2005 attacks in Baghdad on the Palestine Hotel and Sheraton Hotels, which was captured on CCTV. It is also similar to what recently happened to the Marriot Hotel Islamabad

The Latest Intel: More threats have been made. These includes threats to attack the US Embassy again as well as the British Embassy. The British Embassy is closed and they have all gone home. Kindly the Sana’a British Consular sent out a mass SMS to all British citizens saying to avoid all but essential travel to Sana’a. I got this whilst sipping tea in the garden of my Sana’a villa admiring the passion flowers. US, British and Saudi (Al-Qaeda is pissed with Saudi for kicking them out and they want to go back there) interests are all threatened. The potential day for these attacks are just before the end of Ramadan and beginning of Eid, a day on which martyrs will get to heaven the quickest. The British Embassy will re-open after Eid.

Will report more if anything further happens.

Technorati Tags: Yemen, Us embassy attack, Yemen, Terrorism, Al qaeda