Yemeni minister survives assassination attempt

Yemeni Information Minister Ali al Amrani escaped an ambush in the capital Sanaa on late Thursday, local media reported. Sources closed to the minister said Al Amrani survived an ambush which was carried out by unknown gunmen near the minister's house in the capital. One of the minister's bodyguards was seriously wounded in the fighting, the sources said, and was taken to a Sanaa hospital in a serious condition. A source told Arabstoday that Omrani was not in his car when it was fired on although his son was, but he was not hurt in the incident. The gunmen fled to an uknown destination. Some say former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh is behind the attempt, as Saleh loyalists believe Omrani is waging a media war against Saleh by pushing for state media coverage that favours opponents of the former regime. This was the second time that Amrani escaped assassination in less than three months. He was last attacked in his car in January after attending a weekly cabinet meeting at the headquarters of the Yemeni government in central Sanaa. The police said they had launched investigation into the attack.