SANA'A // Yemen’s capital appeared to return to the frontline of al Qa’eda’s insurgency yesterday as a British diplomat was injured when an embassy motorcade was targeted with rocket-propelled grenades.
In a separate attack, a French oil worker was killed when a Yemeni security guard opened fired.
In Sana’a, two bystanders, including a woman and a child, were also injured along with Britain’s deputy chief of mission, Fionna Gibb, when armed men attacked the car, embassy officials and local sources said.
“The embassy vehicle was on its way to the British Embassy with five embassy staff on board. One member of staff suffered minor injuries and is undergoing treatment, all others were unhurt,” Daisey Organ, a British Embassy spokeswoman, said in an interview. “We are aware of at least two bystanders injured during the attack, and are seeking further detail.” Local sources said three bystanders were injured.
Yemen’s interior ministry said that the attack carried the “fingerprints of al Qa’eda”.
“The security forces are conducting their investigations to identify and arrest the perpetrators of this terrorist operation,” the interior ministry website quoted an unnamed security official as saying.
The official said one British national was injured in the attack which hit the back of the vehicle.
Mohammed Saif Haidar, a Yemeni researcher specialising in al Qa’eda at the Sana’a-based Saba Centre for Strategic Studies, said the attack is an attempt to wake up al Qa’eda sleeper cells in Sana’a and bring the capital back to the frontline of their operations.
“The attack demonstrates that Sana’a will be an important battlefield in the fight with al Qa’eda militants, who are active in the capital. It also shows that there is a keen monitoring of the activities of western diplomats, and this poses a lot of challenges for the security agencies,” Mr Haidar said in an interview yesterday.
Al Qa’eda takes into account the political importance of Sana’a as the capital, where western interests such as oil company offices and embassies are located, he added.
“This attack also confirms that al Qa’eda’s shift from western targets to government ones in recent months has been a mere tactic rather than a strategy. The western targets in my opinion remain a primary target for al Qa’eda whether in Sana’a or anywhere else as it falls in line with al Qa’eda rhetoric that they are fighting the enemies of Islam,” Mr Haider said.
Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, it came after a recent increase in the threat of attacks by al Qa’eda forces in Yemen, including a similar attack on the British ambassador to Yemen this year.
Tim Torlot survived when a suicide bomber hurled himself at his armoured car in Sana’a in April. Three bystanders were injured.
Al Qa’eda in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was in response to the UK’s role in hosting the London donors’ conference on Yemen in January.
“There will be a review of security, just as there was after the April attack,” said a diplomatic source in London who requested anonymity.
“But there is only so much you can do. All our staff get protection to and from the embassy and the building itself is as safe as it can be without becoming an impregnable fortress, which would defeat the objective of having an embassy there in the first place.”
William Hague, the British foreign secretary, said in a statement that yesterday’s “shameful attack on British diplomats will only redouble Britain’s determination to work with … Yemen to help address the challenges that country faces”.
In the second incident yesterday, a Yemeni security guard shot and killed a Frenchman working for the Austrian oil and gas company OMV, the company said in a statement.
One security official said an armed guard opened fire, crying “Allahu Akbar”. He was unable to say if the guard was motivated by personal or other reasons.
The interior ministry official said the guard, identified as Hisham Mohammed Asem, had been arrested.
Police investigators named the shooter as Hisham al Wafi, a 19-year-old they described as “religious” who had been working as a security guard for OMV for three months.
A British national was also wounded in the attack and was hospitalised, according to Ms Organ, who added that there was no link between this incident and the attack on the British Embassy vehicle.
malqadhi@thenational.ae
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
Schedule:
Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)
Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)
Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four
Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)
Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 28: Final (Dubai)
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays
4.5/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 3-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 424hp
Torque: 580 Nm
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
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On sale: now
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes.
Where to stay
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.
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What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."