Suicide car bomb hits Iran envoy’s house in Yemen, three reported dead

SANAA - Reuters

Rescuers search for survivors at the residence of the Iranian ambassador after a car bomb attack in Sanaa, Dec. 3. REUTERS Photo

A suicide attacker drove a car laden with explosives at the Iranian ambassador’s residence in the Yemeni capital Sanaa Dec. 3, security officials said, killing as many as three people.

The attack, the second such bombing in the city in as many months, punched a large hole in the building and sent rubble flying across the street of the well-guarded diplomatic quarter of the city.    

A paramedic said three dead bodies and three wounded people had been dragged from the area. A soldier at the scene, who gave his name as Abdullah Mahmoud, said Yemeni and Iranian guards had been killed in the attack.

The interior ministry confirmed one death, the son of the ambassador’s bodyguard, and said 17 people had been hurt, mostly employees of the oil ministry in a nearby building.

Security officials said the ambassador was unhurt, having left his residence for the embassy 10 minutes before the attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but it mirrored past bombings carried out by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which targets state institutions, including the army, and sees Shi’ite Muslims as heretics.