Several killed at Yemeni security branch

10/06/2013| IslamWeb

At least seven people have been killed and at least 30 wounded in a gun fight next to the National Security Agency building in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.

The violence broke out as Shia Houthi rebels attacked the national security building with automatic weapons and grenades on Sunday, Al Jazeera's Mohamed Adow reported.

The protesters were demanding the release of political detainees, an official told AP news agency, adding that they fired at guards while trying to storm the intelligence headquarters.

He said some of the detainees were arrested for smuggling weapons and drugs. He spoke on condition of anonymity according to regulations.

Meanwhile, Ali al-Bokhayti, a Houthi leader, said only five members of the group were killed.

The incidents happened a day after Yemen began a second round of national dialogue in Sanaa, aimed at drafting a new constitution and preparing for elections next year.

PHOTO CAPTION

Followers of Yemen's al-Houthi Shi'ite group ride in an open vehicle while carrying weapons to secure a road in the northwestern province of Saada, ahead of attending the funeral of the group's late founder al-Houthi Hussein Badr Eddin al-Huthi, June 4, 2013.

Al-Jazeera