Suicide Bomber Kills 9 Cadets At Yemen Police Academy

[News_Editor]

Suicide bomber kills 9 cadets at Yemen police academy < br />

2012-07-13 04:52:47 GMT+7 (ICT)

SANA'A, YEMEN (BNO NEWS) -- A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a police academy in the Yemeni capital Sana'a on Wednesday, killing at least nine police cadets and injuring more than a dozen, government officials said on Thursday. Al-Qaeda is believed to be responsible.

The attack happened when the suicide bomber detonated his explosives vest at the southern gate of the Sana'a Police Academy. It happened as dozens of police cadets were leaving the facility to spend the weekend with their families, according to the country's interior ministry.

Officials said nine police cadets were killed while fifteen others were injured, including several who were in a serious or critical condition. The bomber was not immediately killed despite losing parts of his body, but he later died at a local hospital. The government identified him as Mohammed Ali al-Erri.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but government officials accused Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) of being behind the attack.

Wednesday's attack comes less than a month after a suicide bomber ran up to a vehicle carrying Major General Salem Qatan, the commander of the southern military, and detonated his explosives. It happened in the southern port city of Aden, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of the capital, killing the senior military official and at least two others.

Yemen is currently undergoing a transition process after a popular uprising erupted in the country last year, similar to protests seen in other countries across the Middle East and North Africa. Yemen held presidential elections in February, resulting in a victory for the country's new leader Abd Rabbuh Mansur Al-Hadi.

In May, at least 120 people were killed and more than 350 others were injured when a suicide bomber wearing an army uniform blew himself up during a military parade rehearsal at al-Sabeen square in Sana'a. Most of the victims were from Yemen's Central Security Forces in what was one of the worst ever suicide bombings in the history of Yemen. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed responsibility.

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