SANAA, 31 December 2004 — Yemeni authorities are beefing up security of Western interests across the country on New Year’s eve as a precautionary measure against potential attacks, official sources said yesterday.
An army-run newspaper quoted a security official as saying that “exceptional measures are being taken ahead of New Year’s eve in all the country’s provinces and cities aimed at ensuring safety of foreign nationals, including diplomats and staffers of foreign firms.”
In the capital Sanaa, stepped up security was visible around buildings of Western embassies and firms, with more patrol cars and personnel deployed.
“Those measures are continuous and based on a 24-hour precise plan,” the unnamed source told the ‘26 September’ weekly. He would not say whether authorities received information about threats against foreigners.
The security alert followed a warning by the US Embassy in Sanaa on Tuesday that warned Americans in Yemen to avoid traveling to the southern port city of Aden, citing a “possible threat” against a hotel popular with foreigners.
The Aden harbor was the scene of suicide bombing attack against the US destroyer USS Cole in October 2000, that left 17 sailors on board the navy ship dead.
Kuwaiti Alert
Meanwhile, Kuwait beefed up security yesterday around vital installations and potential Western targets after twin car bombings in neighboring Saudi Arabia, security officials and witnesses said.
Security around embassies and oil facilities, which was already tight following a US warning earlier this month, was reinforced after the bombings in the Saudi capital, a security official told AFP.
Units from the National Guard and special forces were deployed around hotels, Western residential buildings and key installations as police set up checkpoints along roads, witnesses said.
