A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device outside a police academy in Sanaa on July 11 in an operation claimed by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). According to security officials, the blast killed 22 individuals, most of whom were cadets at the academy, and occurred as the cadets were leaving the academy after their final training sessions.

Despite the fact that AQAP has been pushed out of the towns they once controlled, attacks across Yemen, specifically in Sanaa, will continue as AQAP continues its insurgency against the Yemeni government. Such targeted operations and suicide attacks require relatively few resources, allowing AQAP to continue its insurgency against the Yemeni government. The July 11 attack is a demonstration of the continued capability of AQAP to launch operationally successful suicide attacks with high death tolls inside the capital.

The July 11 attack marks the third pedestrian suicide bombing in Yemeni history. The first occurred in April 2010, when a bomber attacked the British ambassador to Yemen. Then on May 21, an AQAP suicide bomber in Sanaa blew himself up at an army parade rehearsal, killing more than 100 soldiers. This attack was one of several responses to a Yemeni army offensive in May.

Notably, the bomber in that attack used a different, albeit effective, tactic than AQAP usually employs. The bomber was a Yemeni soldier who was recruited by AQAP. The soldier stood in tight military formation as he detonated the explosives, allowing shrapnel to penetrate deeper into the entirety of the group. It is doubtful the July 11 suicide bomber was a police cadet because the explosives were detonated outside the academy. Regardless of the suicide bomber's identity, it is clear that the al Qaeda node has again demonstrated its ability to inflict heavy casualties through attacks in the capital.