At least 31 people were killed on Wednesday and dozens wounded in five simultaneous blasts at Shia mosques and a house in the rebel-held Yemeni capital on the eve of Ramadan, medics and witnesses said.
Two car bombs targeted mosques, while a third hit the house of the head of the Huthi rebels’ politburo, Saleh al-Sammad, witnesses and security officials said.
Among the mosques hit by car bombs was Al-Hashush, which was targeted in March in a series of suicide bombings against Shia houses of worship claimed by the Islamic State group that killed 142 people. The other car bomb hit the Al-Quba Al-Khadra mosque in the central Hayel district, which is frequented by Huthi supporters. Explosive devices also went off at two other mosques — Al-Kibssi and Al-Tayssir in Al-Ziraa district, with all the attacks timed to coincide with Muslim sunset prayers.
Saudi spies executed
Al-Qaeda in Yemen executed on Wednesday two Saudi accused of spying for the United States, a day after the jihadist group confirmed the death of its leader in a U.S. drone strike. They were accused of planting tracking chips in vehicles and clothes used by Al-Qaeda leaders, allowing drones to target them, a local official in southeastern Mukalla said.
After their public execution by a firing squad, their bodies were tied to poles, the official and witnesses said. AQAP had on Tuesday confirmedthe death of its leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi, who was number two in Al-Qaeda, in a U.S. drone strike last week. — AFP
