British embassy in Yemen capital Sanaa reopens

The British embassy in the Yemeni capital Sanaa has reopened after it was closed for nearly two weeks over "increased security concerns".

All UK staff based in Sanaa were sent home after messages between the head of al-Qaeda and the group's head in Yemen about a major attack were intercepted.

US embassies across the Middle East and North Africa were also closed.

Yemen welcomed the move but little information has been released about the reasons for the decision.

Yemeni patrols secured streets near the British embassy earlier this month
'Suicide attacks'

A terror alert was sparked after secret plans discussed by al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri and Nasser al-Wuhayshi were picked up by US intelligence officials.

Unprecedented security measures were taken in Sanaa, with hundreds of armoured vehicles deployed.

Speaking at the time, the BBC's Abdullah Ghorab, in Sanaa, said a security source had confirmed that Yemeni intelligence services had discovered that dozens of al-Qaeda members had arrived in the city in the preceding days in preparation for a major attack.

The source suggested it was to include explosions and suicide attacks aimed at Western diplomatic missions and Yemeni military headquarters.

The BBC's Rami Ruhayem said the reopening of the embassy appeared to suggest the perceived danger had passed.

But assessments were being made behind closed doors, and most of the media had only received fragments of information about the reasons for both its closure and subsequent reopening, he said.

Yemen is the base of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which has recently suffered a series of setbacks after the military launched an offensive in June with the help of US forces.