Yemen politician shot dead

A veteran Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP) leader was shot dead yesterday soon after addressing an annual gathering of the Islamic Islah Party, hailing its "openmindedness, tolerance and condemnation of terrorism."

The Gulf News correspondent, who was at the scene, saw a bearded man, who was later identified as Ali Ahmed Jarallah, firing three shots from his pistol at Jarallah Omar, Assistant Secretary General of YSP, before he was arrested by bodyguards and some of the delegates at the gathering.

Omar was shot dead while he was leaving the conference hall here after addressing about 5,000 members of the Islamic party at its third general conference.

A statement issued by the party following the incident declared that the 40-year-old perpetrator "is a criminal and the attack is on the Islah party and all opposition parties".

The government said the assassin was a member of the Islamic Islah Party who is known for his extreme views.

The perpetrator, now in police custody, was a student of Al Eyman Islamic University in Sanaa before he became a mosque preacher. He was detained for criticising the government early this year, and criticised his own party "for allying with the YSP."