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The British and French embassies in Sanaa reopened Wednesday after being closed due to the threat of an attack by Al-Qaeda, the missions said.<\/p>\n
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“The British embassy has reopened, but public services remain closed (visa and consular services),” said the statement posted on its website.<\/p>\n
“The situation is being assessed on a daily basis.”<\/p>\n
The US embassy in Yemen reopened Tuesday after a two-day closure prompted by Al-Qaeda threats as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned unrest in the Arab country is a threat to global stability.<\/p>\n
The US embassy said on its website that Yemeni security forces had addressed a “specific area of concern” in the north of the capital Sanaa on Monday, paving the way for Tuesday’s reopening.<\/p>\n
Warnings of a possible Al-Qaeda attack had led Washington to close its embassy in Sanaa the day before. The British and French authorities followed suit, while Japan suspended consular services at its embassy.<\/p>\n
“Successful counter-terrorism operations conducted by the government of Yemen security forces January 4 north of the capital have addressed a specific area of concern, and have contributed to the embassy?s decision to resume operations,” the US embassy said in a statement.<\/p>\n
It was apparently referring to a security operation Yemeni police conducted Monday in the area of Arhab, 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Sanaa, where two suspected members of Al-Qaeda were killed and three others wounded.<\/p>\n
Yemen’s interior ministry said Tuesday all foreign missions and interests were “safe,” pointing out it has reinforced security measures around embassies and the residences of foreigners.<\/p>\n
The ministry also said it arrested five “terrorist elements” during the past two days near Sanaa, but gave no details.<\/p>\n
Long-standing concerns that Yemen, a country on the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula, has become a haven for Islamic terror groups were thrown into sharp focus when a Nigerian man allegedly trained in Yemen was charged with trying to blow up a US-bound jet.<\/p>\n
The botched Christmas Day attack was claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which also urged attacks on Western interests in Yemen.<\/p>\n
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