Sanaa: An Al Qaida suicide bomber was behind the explosion that killed four South Korean tourists and a Yemeni driver in eastern Yemen, officials said.

In a statement, the Ministry of Interior said the Al Qaida bomber used an explosive belt to carry out the attack.

The bomber was identified as Ali Muhsen Al Ahmad, a Yemeni. His identification card was found at the blast site.

A Yemeni security official told media on Tuesday that the suicide bomber was trained in Somalia.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said that the bomber left his home in Yemen's Taizz province two months ago to train in Somalia.

The official said that the bomber allegedly wrote a letter to his mother saying that his family would never see him again and that he believed he was on the "true path".

With input from agencies