One killed in attack on voting center in Yemen's Aden

ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- An undefined assailant was killed on Tuesday morning in an attack on a polling station in Yemen's southern port city of Aden, a police officer told Xinhua.

The unidentified assailant tried to attack an office of the electoral committee with hand grenades in the Crater district in downtown Aden, killing himself at the scene, the officer said on condition of anonymity.

The explosion of hand grenades tore apart the body of the unknown attacker into small pieces, the officer said.

"He was apparently trying to target the polling center but the bombs exploded before that and killed himself only," he added.

Meanwhile, a huge explosion followed by heavy machine gunfire was heard near a police station earlier in the day in the Sera town. A security official said on condition of anonymity that local government authorities have tightened up security measures across Aden.

No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the attack. But the incident bore the hallmarks of the al-Qaida group, according to the official.

Last week, the al-Qaida leaders called for their followers to " burn voting cards and boycott the presidential elections in nonviolent protests."

The riot showed the country's fragile security situation one week ahead of the elections that would end the rule of outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh who is currently in the United States for medical treatment