Two Dozen Arrested in US Embassy Attack

Via Military.com -

At least 25 militants with suspected links to al-Qaida have been arrested in connection with the deadly attack on the U.S. Embassy in the Yemeni capital, a senior security official said Thursday.

The death toll from Wednesday's attack rose to 17 as Yemeni security officials reported that one of the seven civilians wounded in the dramatic assault had died. Among those killed in the deadliest direct assault on a U.S. Embassy in a decade were a young American woman who was recently wed in an arranged marriage and six militants.

The attackers failed to breach the compound's walls, and none of those killed or wounded were U.S. diplomats or embassy employees. But the assault was well-coordinated and more sophisticated than previous attacks on the mission, involving two suicide car bombs and a team of well-armed gunmen that managed to penetrate rings of security right to one of the embassy entrances.

In the sweep after the attack, 25 militants were rounded up from various parts of Yemen over 24 hours and were being questioned by Yemeni and U.S. investigators, the Yemeni security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give details.

It is not unusual for authorities in Yemen, a key partner in the U.S.-led war on terror but for years an al-Qaida stronghold, to round up a large number of suspects after a terror attack.
The official said a U.S. team, possibly from the FBI, was on its way to Yemen to take charge of the investigation. A U.S. Embassy official would not confirm the dispatch of an FBI team.

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Here are some other details from multiple sources...

Deputy Premier for Defense and Security affairs Rashad al-Alimi affirmed Thursday that the US embassy terrorist attack is a revenge reaction to the government anti-terrorism operations against the terrorist elements.

A US embassy spokesman in Yemen has said that the embassy is not closing, however the consular section will be closed for routine consular services until further notice.

The family of Susan Ali Elbaneh, a US citizen, said she was killed today in the terrorist attack in Yemen. The 19 year old Yemeni-American was killed outside the US embassy during the attack. The newlywed Elbaneh was alongside her husband of two months, a family member reported. Susan Elbaneh is a relative of Yemeni-American Jaber Elbaneh who is on the FBI's most wanted list. Yemen has refused to extradite him. There are no indications that Ms. Elbaneh's presence at the embassy was anything more than a random occurrence. She accompanied her sister in law who had an appointment with the embassy.

Association of Yemeni Religious Scholars condemned on Thursday strongly recent attack targeting US embassy in Sana'a on Wednesday.