The U.S. Embassy has been attacked by a mob in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a, with "protesters" who ripped down the American flag.
Hundreds have reportedly stormed into the embassy compound, tearing off the embassy's sign from the outer wall. Gunfire was allegedly exchanged between security guards and protesters, according to various media reports, with an unknown number of wounded reported.
The mob tore down the American flag and ripped it to shreds before putting it to the torch. They also set fire to a building, but allegedly were forced to retreat while trying to trash computers and furniture.
The international Al Qaeda terrorist organization's most active Middle Eastern branch, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), is based in Yemen.
Yesterday (Wednesday), protesters massed in the streets of the capital to denounce terror attacks and to show support for Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's decision to replace security officials in Sana'a.
In the wake of reports that Libyan security personnel had directed terrorists to the building where U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and his staff were holed up, Hadi replaced security officials and some ministers late on Tuesday.
State media reported the apparent move was made in an effort to reduce the influence of former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh following an Al Qaeda assassination attempt earlier in the day on the life of Yemeni Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Mohammed Nasser Ahmed, who has won acclaim in the flight against the terror organization. A car bomb ripped through his motorcade in the early morning hours, killing 13 people, while traveling through the capital.
The bombing followed by one day the targeted assassination in Yemen of AQAP second-in-command, Sa'id al-Shahiri, released from the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay when President Barack Obama ordered the closure of the facility. Also Tuesday, the eleventh anniversary of the “9/11” Al Qaeda attacks on America, Al Qaeda released a video confirming the killing on June 4 of the international terror organization's second-in-command, Abu Yahya al-Libi, a Libyan national.