Suicide bomber kills 42 at Shi’ite rally in Yemeni capital Sana’a

At least 42 people were killed on Thursday when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt in a district of the Yemeni capital Sana’a where supporters of the Shi’ite Muslim Houthi movement were to have held a rally. A Reuters witness counted at least 20 bodies immediately after the attack on a checkpoint held by the Houthis, the country’s main power brokers since their paramilitary forces seized the city on September 21 following weeks of anti-government demonstrations. The attack occurred just hours after a political showdown between the Houthis and President Abd-Rabbu Mansour led to the resignation of Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, whose appointment on Tuesday had angered Houthi leaders.

He then exploded amidst the (Houthi) security and ordinary people nearby.

A policeman who witnessed the explosion

Many people were wounded in the bombing in central Tahrir Square. Medical sources later said the death toll had risen to at least 42, including several children. The death toll was expected to climb further, with many of those wounded in serious or critical condition, they said. A policeman guarding a local bank near the scene said a man apparently wearing a suicide belt approached the Houthi checkpoint. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the incident appears to mirror previous bombings carried out by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which regards members of the minority Zaydi sect of Shi’ite Islam as heretics.

Middle East suicide bomber