Attack near US embassy in Yemen - guard killed

(dpa) - A hand grenade attack near the US embassy in Yemen's capital Sana'a killed a Yemeni guard and injured three others and four schoolgirls Tuesday, police said.

Police officials at the scene said the attacker threw two hand grenades at the courtyard of the girl's public school which is adjacent to the embassy's compound in Saawan neighbourhood in eastern Sana'a.

A Yemeni guard patrolling the back fence of the US embassy was immediately killed and three of his colleagues injured, a police official at the scene said.

The official, who asked not to be identified, said initial investigation showed that the attacker's motive was "personal rather than terrorist."

Witnesses said they heard three explosions indicating that three grenades were detonated.

In a separate attack, at least five soldiers were injured after a bomb went off at local government compound in the southern province of Abyan, municipal officials said. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Islamic militants could be behind the attack.

They said the explosion took place early in the morning at the local council's building in Jaar city, some 600 kilometres south of the capital Sana'a, and that the building was empty at the time.