Applying STRATFOR analysis to breaking news
Additional details have emerged on the early-morning attempted bombing in Yemen on April 26 that targeted the British ambassador. The suicide bomber involved in the attack was suspected to be Othman al-Salwai, a 22-year-old resident of Taiz, according to the Yemeni Interior Ministry. A STRATFOR source in Yemen has reported British Ambassador Tim Torlot typically varies his departure time and route to his Embassy for security reasons. Accordingly, al-Salwai's presence at a choke point where traffic had slowed to a crawl around the precise time that Torlot was traveling to the U.K. embassy indicates the possibility that the bomber had inside information on the ambassador's route. STRATFOR sources in Yemen have reported that in the course of the attack, al-Salwai was positioned approximately 10 feet above on the opposite road of the two-way, one-lane Berlin Street, which Torlot was traveling on. When al-Salwai spotted the ambassador's approaching convoy, he jumped down to the adjacent street, detonating his suicide vest. However, local sources have indicated the bomber hesitated — or the device malfunctioned — only striking the convoy from behind and inflicting minimal damage to the ambassador's vehicle. The failure of the attack demonstrates the difficulty of effectively neutralizing a target in motion, particularly for a poorly trained or inexperienced operative.
Additional details have emerged on the early-morning attempted bombing in Yemen on April 26 that targeted the British ambassador. The suicide bomber involved in the attack was suspected to be Othman al-Salwai, a 22-year-old resident of Taiz, according to the Yemeni Interior Ministry. A STRATFOR source in Yemen has reported British Ambassador Tim Torlot typically varies his departure time and route to his Embassy for security reasons. Accordingly, al-Salwai's presence at a choke point where traffic had slowed to a crawl around the precise time that Torlot was traveling to the U.K. embassy indicates the possibility that the bomber had inside information on the ambassador's route. STRATFOR sources in Yemen have reported that in the course of the attack, al-Salwai was positioned approximately 10 feet above on the opposite road of the two-way, one-lane Berlin Street, which Torlot was traveling on. When al-Salwai spotted the ambassador's approaching convoy, he jumped down to the adjacent street, detonating his suicide vest. However, local sources have indicated the bomber hesitated — or the device malfunctioned — only striking the convoy from behind and inflicting minimal damage to the ambassador's vehicle. The failure of the attack demonstrates the difficulty of effectively neutralizing a target in motion, particularly for a poorly trained or inexperienced operative.
