Six alleged al-Qaeda members, including one thought to have links to Osama bin Laden, were killed when their car exploded in Yemen, a source today said.
It is not yet clear what had caused yesterday's car explosion in the Marib province, 105 miles east of the capital Sanaa. But the source said the car appeared to have been carrying explosives.
It was reported Ali Qaed Senyan al-Harthi, also known as Abu Ali, was one of the men in the car. All were Yemenis suspected of having links to al-Qaeda.
Abu Ali is one of two men that local security forces have been trying to hunt down for questioning since the hijacked plane attacks on New York and Washington.
Yemen, keen to discard its tag as a haven for Muslim militants, says it is holding 85 people arrested in a manhunt for al-Qaeda members.