Gunmen kill Yemen judge known for sentencing al Qaeda militants

Yemeni security officials on Saturday said that masked gunmen killed a prominent judge who was known for sentencing al-Qaeda militants to prison in the southern port city of Aden

Yemeni security officials on Saturday said that masked gunmen killed a prominent judge who was known for sentencing al Qaeda militants to prison in the southern port city of Aden.

They say gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on Judge Mohsen Alwan’s vehicle in Aden’s Mansoura neighbourhood, killing him and three others.

No one immediately claimed the attack, but officials suspect al Qaeda’s Yemen branch was behind it. Al Qaeda militants have previously used motorcycles in their assassinations.

Al Qaida has recently made land grabs in southern and eastern Yemen, exploiting the chaos of the country’s larger conflict, which pits Shiite Houthi rebels allied with a former president against the internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led and US-backed coalition.

The officials spoke anonymously because they are not authorized to brief the media.