“The Yemen-based branch of Al-Qaeda could be close to launching an attack, according to US spy agencies which said the group may be seeking to capitalize on unrest roiling the Middle Eastern country, The Washington Post said Saturday.
Citing unnamed US officials, the newspaper said agencies have gathered only ‘fragmentary information’ on a possible plot from Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and have yet to assemble detailed intelligence that would prompt a public warning or take to specific action to counter the threat.
‘We’re always at a very high level of alert and have been for some time with AQAP,’ an official told the Post. The intelligence however points to ‘more than that they are bent on attacking the West and continuing to plot,’ implying an operation beyond the planning phase, according to the official.”