Gunman kills US embassy security officer in Yemen

A Yemeni security official who worked for the US embassy was killed in a drive-by shooting near his home yesterday. Officials said the assault bore the hallmarks of al-Qa'ida's Yemen branch.

Security in Yemen and several other Muslim states has crumbled since their autocratic leaders were ousted during the Arab Spring.

An elite team of 50 Marines, sent to Sanaa to bolster security at the embassy after it was attacked during protests triggered by an anti-Islam film made in the US, was scheduled to leave yesterday. It was not clear if the latest attack would affect those plans, Yemeni officials said.