* Blast carried out by suicide bomber
* Ambassador unharmed; British embassy closes
* Attack bore “hallmarks of al Qaeda” - Yemen
(Adds Yemen interior ministry statement, background)
By Mohammed Sudam
SANAA, April 26 (Reuters) - A suspected al Qaeda suicide bomber targeted a convoy of the British ambassador to Yemen early on Monday, killing himself and injuring three others, but the envoy was unharmed, Yemeni and British officials said.
The hit “bore the hallmarks of al Qaeda”, Yemen’s interior ministry said, a reminder that despite recent efforts by the impoverished country to crack down on the global militant group, its members were still able to carry out such violent attacks.
Ambassador Tim Torlot was on his way to the embassy when the blast occurred, the ministry said. Two of the wounded were security officials escorting the ambassador’s motorcade, while the third was a bystander.
Britain’s Foreign Office confirmed that a small explosion took place beside the ambassador’s car. He was unhurt and no other embassy staff were injured, it said in a statement.
The embassy will be closed to the public indefinitely.
The suicide bomber was a young man dressed in sports gear, the interior ministry said, citing security services. The force of the blast scattered his body parts to the roofs of nearby houses, the ministry said.
Yemen has for years been battling al Qaeda and other militant groups. The regional wing of the militant group, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), is based in Yemen and has previously threatened and attacked embassies.
In September 2008, two suicide bombers set off a series of explosions outside the heavily fortified U.S. embassy in Sanaa, killing 16 people. The attack was claimed by a group called Islamic Jihad in Yemen, which analysts said was linked to al Qaeda.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday’s explosion.
AQAP most recently claimed a bomb attempt on a U.S.-bound plane in December and revelations followed that the suspected bomber, a young Nigerian man named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, had visited Yemen and had been in contact with militants there.
The failed December bomb plot heightened international concern over Yemen’s instability and its global repercussions to such an extent that a conference of Western and Arab donors was convened in London to discuss ways to steady the impoverished country.
Yemen, a neighbour to the world’s top oil exporter Saudi Arabia, is also facing rising unrest in its south, where a secessionist movement objecting to the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been increasingly clashing with security forces.
A brutal government crackdown has led to widespread arrests and deaths on both sides.
In February Sanaa concluded a fragile truce deal with northern Shi’ite rebels, who complain of discrimination by the government, bringing to an end the latest round of heavy fighting in a conflict that has raged on and off since 2004.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was among those at the February meeting who urged the government to enact reforms and combat corruption, although no new money was pledged.
Yemen promised to work on reforms and to start talks on a programme with the International Monetary Fund.
Theodore Karasik of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis said the attack signalled al Qaeda was still active in Yemen.
“I think this shows al Qaeda is not disappearing and it has been plotting and planning attacks in Yemen and abroad and I think this is a new campaign of targeted assassinations,” Karasik said.
The Yemeni authorities were investigating the area of the blast which has been cordoned off, security sources said.
A spokesman for the U.S. embassy said it was still open to the public. The German embassy was also open for business, a spokesman said, while a staff member at the French embassy said they also remained open.
The British Foreign Office said it was advising all British nationals in Yemen to keep a low profile and remain vigilant. (Reporting by Mohamed Sudam and Mohammed Ghobari in Sanaa and Erika Solomon in Dubai; Writing by Raissa Kasolowsky; Editing by Dominic Evans)
