Al-Qaida Claims Credit for Bombing LNG Pipeline in Yemen

The Yemen-based al-Qaida offshoot on Friday claimed responsibility for Sept. 13 bomb attack of a pipeline transferring liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Yemeni Marib province to the southeast Shabwa province. 

"The bomb attack destroyed the LNG pipeline from production pallet in Marib province to Belhaf Port Terminal for export in the southeast Shabwa province," the group claimed in its newly- released video tape posted on Jihadist websites. 

The 31-minute long video tape titled "Deter Aggression", containing footage of the group's fighters. 

On September 13, a group of al-Qaida gunmen blew up a pipeline run by the Yemen LNG Company, a liquefied natural gas venture led by French oil giant Total in the Shabwa province. The company later confirmed in a statement that its key pipeline was sabotaged in Shabwa province on Sept. 13.

A provincial police officer told Xinhua the explosion caused huge fire and smoke as the pipeline was badly damaged, cutting off the LNG supply. Some tribesmen in the area also witnessed that al-Qaida militants used a lot of bomb devices in the explosion, the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.