In the wake of the "terrorist threats" from Al-Qa'eda, the US has temporarily suspended its consular services in Yemen. On Tuesday, the US embassy in Sanaa stayed closed. According to a Yemeni police source, "the embassy received a telephone call from an unidentified speaker who stressed that the American embassy and American interests in Yemen are in danger." The spokesman for the US State Department, Richard Boucher, said: "The Yemenis told us they believe there are increasing threats against the US interests in Yemen, but he did not disclose the nature of these threats."

The Yemeni police and army forces have been chasing Al-Qa'eda members for weeks. On 18 December 2001, this led to clashes in three provinces on the Saudi Arabian border settled mainly by tribes not controlled by the central authority. 28 persons, including 24 Yemeni soldiers and police, were killed.