Official: 7 Qaida suspects arrested near U.S. embassy in Yemen

SANAA, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni anti-terror forces have arrested seven suspected members of an al-Qaida-linked sleeper cell in a quarter, adjacent to the U.S. embassy in Sanaa, a higher-ranking security official of Interior Ministry said on Sunday.

The anti-terrorism forces on late Tuesday raided al-Houri house at Sawan quarter, and captured three members of the family Esam, Majid and Kamal al-Houri, the official said on condition of anonymity. One of al-Houri members was reportedly killed in Iraq three years ago, as he was fighting alongside al-Qaida.

The house and the U.S. embassy are all located in Sawan district in Sanaa.

A tip from an observant security officer in the area also led to the arrest of another four suspected members from the same quarter, said the official.

Yemen has recently launched a large-scale anti-terrorism campaign against al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen following the failed attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound flight which al-Qaida claimed responsibility.

The Interior Ministry announced last week that its anti-terror units captured three al-Qaida's suspected members in a security operation carried out in the Arhab district, some 40 km north to the capital.