Attempted assassination of Timothy Torlot

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On 26 April 2010, a suicide bomber attempted to assassinate Timothy Torlot, the ambassador of the United Kingdom to Yemen, as he was heading to the British embassy in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. The bomber, identified as 22-year-old Othman Ali Nouman al-Salawi, disguised himself as a student and waited along a busy street which led to the embassy. As Torlot's two-vehicle convoy arrived and slowed down along the street, Salawi ran up to them and detonated a hidden explosive belt, killing himself but narrowly missing Torlot's car as he was too slow in reaching it. Torlot and his security escort escaped unharmed, while three bystanders suffered injuries. The assassination attempt was claimed by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) as a response to the UK's growing support for the Yemeni government. Yemeni authorities arrested four militants in relation to the attack but none were charged with involvement. Foreign Secretary David Miliband condemned the bombing, and the British embassy...

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