Yemen arrests US citizen over Al-Qaeda links

Vehicle allegedly belonging to al Qaeda-linked militants in Yemen Yemeni authorities arrested a US citizen in the southern province of Shabwa on Monday, referring him to political security apparatus for investigation, a security source told Arabstoday. The authorities suspected the American might have links to Al-Qaeda -associated groups in the country. The arrested suspect was found holding three passports, two American and one German, but his entry into the country was not officially registered, the source said.
The Yemeni army launched a US-backed scheme and drove Al-Qaeda militants out of their strongholds in Abyan and Shabwa provinces in April-May.
Another US citizen, Anwar al-Awlaki was killed in an airstrike by a US drone late last year in Yemen after concerns started to grow he could recruit Western Jihadists through online radicalisation.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni authorities are continuing a massive hunt for Al-Qaeda operatives who were reported to have planned to regroup after the severe blows they received from the Yemeni army - amid deadly suicide bombings in key parts of the country, including the capital Sanaa and the business capital, Aden.