Yemen officials say al-Qaeda terrorist threat to oil and gas pipelines ‘thwarted’
Yemen’s foreign ministry said Wednesday that it thwarted an al-Qaeda plot to blow up oil and gas pipelines and seize some of the country’s main ports to disrupt shipping, as more suspected drone strikes struck terrorist targets in the country’s south.
The United States and the British have closed their embassies in Sanaa due to intelligence suggesting al-Qaeda was planning an attack on the capital.
The U.S. military flew Americans out of Yemen early Tuesday. The United States has closed 18 other embassies and consulates in the region as well.
The BBC reported that Yemeni government spokesman Rajeh Badi said the plot involved blowing up oil and gas pipelines and taking control of two ports in the south, one of which is a major distribution site for Yemeni oil. Foreign workers are employed at the port.
“There were attempts to control key cities in Yemen like Mukala and Bawzeer,” Badi said.
“This would be coordinated with attacks by al-Qaeda members on the gas facilities in Shebwa city and the blowing up of the gas pipe in Belhaf city,” he said.
Al-Qaeda planned to invade the ports with terrorists dressed as soldiers.
The Associated Press reported that Yemen’s government said the motive for the planned attacks was retaliation for the killing of senior al-Qaeda figure Said al-Shihri in a November drone strike.
