SANAA, Yemen, June 18 (UPI) -- The convoy of the leader of the ruling Yemeni General Popular Congress Party was attacked Saturday by gunmen during a visit in eastern Yemen.
An official told United Press International on condition of anonymity that party Secretary-General Abdul Karim al-Iryani was with other senior officials on a visit of historic sites in al-Jof province when gunmen opened fire at them and fled.
There were no reports of casualties.
Antiquities chief in al-Jof, Ahmad Senteel said the tour of the region was cut short after the shooting incident.
Officials did not say whether al-Iryani, a former prime minister described as the "engineer of relations with the United States" since 1984, was targeted in the shooting.
Al-Jof, near the border with Saudi Arabia, has been known for its security lax in a country where every man owns more than one weapon.
A number of Yemeni officials have been fired upon in recent years. the deputy secretary-general of the Socialist Party, Jarallah Omar, was killed in a public hall during a party conference attended by more than 3,000 people.
