SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Policemen loyal to Yemen's ousted leader Ali Abdullah Saleh stormed the country's Interior Ministry on Tuesday, setting off clashes that left at least 10 people killed or wounded, according to a senior security official.
He said the attack followed a demonstration outside the ministry in the capital Sanaa by policemen loyal to the former president, who stepped down earlier this year after a popular uprising. The policemen were later joined by pro-Saleh tribesmen, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The demonstrators accused the current government of corruption.
Tuesday's incident underlined the volatility of the situation in Yemen nearly six months after Saleh stepped down. It points to the enduring ability of his supporters, many of whom still hold key positions, to cause unrest in the poor Arab nation in the southern corner of the Arabian Peninsula.
The security official said Saleh's nephew Yahia Mohammed Abdullah Saleh, who commands the police's Central Security forces, sent additional policemen to participate in the demonstration shortly before the ministry was stormed. The ministry is in charge of the police force and its building is located on the road to the airport.
The policemen loyal to Saleh remained in control of the building hours after they stormed it. They also controlled nearby streets, said the official.
