Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh is not likely to return to Yemen soon as he receives treatment in Saudi Arabia for injuries sustained in an attack on his palace, a Western diplomat said today.
"We believe he was seriously injured . . . he is not coming in the coming days, he is not coming [home] soon," the diplomat said.
The diplomat said a TNT bomb had been planted at the mosque where Mr Saleh was praying when he was injured on June 3rd.
Elsewhere in Yemen, 63 suspected al-Qaeda militants escaped from a jail, highlighting the country's growing insecurity.
The prisoners escaped yesterday via a tunnel they dug under their cells in the coastal city of Mukalla in Hadramout province, a Yemeni intelligence official said. One snatched a gun, killing a guard and wounding another.
Reports of clashes between Yemeni forces and al-Qaeda have increased amid protests calling for the ouster of Mr Saleh. The president has said the unrest is emboldening al-Qaeda, which has used Yemen as a base.
Troops are also battling Shia Muslim Houthis, who say they face discrimination from the majority Sunnis.
Agencies