Gunmen killed an Iranian diplomat in a drive-by shooting in
Yemeni capital Sanaa on Saturday, AP reported.
Iranian state TV later announced that Ali Asqar Asadi, Iran's
economic attaché in Sanaa, was assassinated. The broadcast said Asadi was
attacked while driving and suffered four gunshot wounds to the chest and
stomach.
A
Yemeni official told AP that the gunmen
first attempted to kidnap the diplomat by stopping his car. When the diplomat
resisted, the assailants shot him and fled the area, which is a busy commercial
district.
Another Iranian diplomat was abducted by gunmen in July and remains in captivity.
Al-Qaeda for Arabian Peninsula is believed to
be behind the attacks. Iran has been actively supporting the Shia insurgent
group, the Houthis, in the ongoing sectarian conflict in Yemen.
Photo credit: Iranian Ambassador's residence in Sanaa, Yemen. Saturday, January
18, 2014. (Hani Mohammed/AP)
