The U.S. warning came in wake of a failed Al Qaida attack on Britain's
ambassador to Yemen. On April 26, an Al Qaida suicide bomber blew himself up
next to the armored convoy of British ambassador Tim Torlot. Three people
were injured, but the ambassador was said to have escaped unharmed.
Officials acknowledged that Westerners and other foreigners have come under
increasing threat in Yemen. They cited the campaign by Al Qaida in the
Arabian Peninsula, the renewal of the Iranian-backed Shi'ite rebellion in
the north and the secessionist campaign in the south.
"The U.S. embassy urges Americans to remain vigilant regarding their
personal security," the embassy said.
The secessionists, said to be aided by Al Qaida, have abducted two
Yemeni soldiers. The Aden News Agency said the abductors granted the
government a 48-hour deadline to release secessionist leaders.
The regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh has launched a
counter-insurgency campaign in several areas of Yemen. The Interior Ministry
has released a list of 50 major fugitives, all of them deemed secessionists.