Islamic Jihad of Yemen

The Islamic Jihad of Yemen (Arabic: الجهاد الإسلامي في اليمن) was an al-Qaeda Islamist militant affiliate that claimed responsibility for the 2008 attack on the United States embassy in Yemen.[1] The group also threatened future attacks against other embassies, including those of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.[2]

The group released a statement saying, "We will carry out the rest of the series of attacks on the other embassies that were declared previously, until our demands are met by the Yemeni government."[3] Meanwhile, on September 18, 2008, Yemeni authorities arrested 25 suspects allegedly connected to al-Qaeda.[4] Foreign Minister Abou Bakr al-Qurbi said: "The attack on the U.S. Embassy was retaliation by al-Qaeda for the measures taken by the government to fight the terrorists." United States Department of State spokesman Sean McCormack said that "the multi-phased attack bore all the hallmarks of al-Qaeda." The government received an average of $40 million yearly in U.S. economic and military aid since 2000.[5]

  1. ^ "Al Qaeda blamed for U.S. Embassy attack". CNN. 17 September 2008. Archived from the original on September 18, 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
  2. ^ Shane Bauer (18 September 2008). "U.S. Embassy hit in Yemen, raising militancy concerns". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
  3. ^ "reuters.com, Yemen arrests 19 after U.S. embassy attack". Reuters. 18 September 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  4. ^ http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gPT0H4QNxbnAnToQZo5c3pTkPk7AD9395SBG5. Retrieved September 18, 2008. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[dead link‍]
  5. ^ "Al-Qaeda Blamed For Attack Against U.S. Embassy In Yemen". Free Internet Press. Archived from the original on 2012-07-12. Retrieved 15 October 2014.