Officials: Explosion Sound Reported Near U.S. Embassy in Yemen Due To Fireworks

UPDATE, 9:40 p.m via the Associated Press: Yemeni security officials said that an explosion followed by what sounded like heavy gunfire had been heard near the U.S. Embassy in the capital Sanaa late Monday, but government spokesmen later said that the blast was fireworks from a wedding procession. The State Department also issued a statement saying it had no indication that reports of an attack on or near the U.S. Embassy in Yemen were accurate. ORIGINAL POST, 6:08 p.m.: A large explosion was heard near the U.S. embassy in Yemen on Monday, the Associated Press reports. Security officials and local residents tell the AP the explosion was followed by heavy gunfire in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital. The area around the embassy has reportedly been sealed off by security, but it is still unclear how close to the embassy the explosion was. More from the AP: “Yemen is fighting a war against al-Qaida’s local branch, considered by Washington to be one of the world’s most dangerous offshoots of the terror network.”