SANAA, Yemen, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- A powerful explosion ripped through the main government compound in the eastern Yemeni city of Maarab on Friday, causing damage but no casualties, security sources said.
The blast occurred soon after midnight when an explosive charge planted near the house of the main security official in the province of Maarab, Brig. Ali Nasser al Kawsi, went off.
The weekly al Sahwa, mouthpiece of the main Islamic opposition Yemeni Reform Party, reported in its Friday edition that "a strong explosion rocked the city and smoke was seen billowing over the well-guarded government compound which harbors the offices and houses of the main security officials in the province."
There was no immediate word on the sum of material damage, but the sources reported there were no injuries.
The incident is believed to be a response to the killing of the presumed leader of Osama bin Laden's al Qaida network in Yemen. Kaed Sinan al Harithy and five other suspected members of the group were traveling in Maarab Nov. 3 when a missile fired by an American Predator unmanned airplane destroyed the vehicle and killed its occupants.
The operation was carried out by the CIA. The Yemeni government acknowledged it had approved the operation, saying it lacked the resources itself to bring the men to justice for crimes that would carry the death penalty in Yemen.
The admission sparked controversy throughout the country, and lawyers in Sanaa have threatened to sue the government for breach of Yemen's constitution.
Threats of revenge for al Harithy's slaying were also voiced in a letter signed by a man called Abu Shehab al Kandahari al Yamani and published in the Yemeni media.
The letter vowed that Yemeni tribes would retaliate against the United States: "Yemen's youth will make the Americans pay a dear price for daring to violate the sanctity of our home (Yemen)," it said.
Maarab as well as neighboring Shabwa and al Jouf provinces, are the scene of a thorough search by Yemeni security forces for suspected al Qaida members who are believed to be hiding in the rugged mountainous regions.
