Gunmen Kill Yemen Judge

Gunmen Kill Yemen Judge

SANAA, Yemen (AP) -- Yemeni security officials say masked gunmen have killed a prominent judge who was known for sentencing al-Qaida militants to prison in the southern port city of Aden.

They say gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire Saturday on Judge Mohsen Alwan's vehicle in Aden's Mansoura neighborhood, killing him and three others.

No one immediately claimed the attack, but officials suspect al-Qaida's Yemen branch was behind it. Al-Qaida militants have previously used motorcycles in their assassinations.

Al-Qaida has recently made land grabs in southern and eastern Yemen, exploiting the chaos of the country's larger conflict, which pits Shiite Houthi rebels allied with a former president against the internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led and U.S.-backed coalition.

The officials spoke anonymously because they are not authorized to brief the media.

(KA)

P[L1] D[0x0] M[300x250] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
P[] D[728x170] M[320x75] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
P[L2] D[728x90] M[320x50] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
P[R1] D[300x250] M[300x250] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
P[R2] D[300x250] M[320x50] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
DIM[1x3] LBL[article-box] SEL[] IDX[] TMPL[standalone] T[]
P[R3] D[300x250] M[0x0] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]