ADEN, Yemen, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's security authorities managed to arrest 10 suspected al-Qaida militants who were trying to infiltrate into Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Thursday, the country's defense ministry said.
Police seized 10 suspected militants at a military checkpoint during their arrival from Abyan province, the defense ministry quoted Aden security commander as saying, adding that a number of vehicles containing weapons and bombs were also seized.
Late in May, the Yemen-based al-Qaida wing took over all parts of southern Abyan province and declared the provincial capital city of Abyan as the capital city of its "Islamic Emirate" in a statement the group read in front of local residents.
The takeover of Zinjibar city, underscores the growing aggressiveness of AQAP, which appears to be taking advantage of political crisis triggered by the anti-government protesters seeking to oust Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Gulf countries and western community fear that unrest threatening the U.S.-backed Yemeni government could make it as strong footholds for the terrorist groups that would possibly threaten one of the world busiest oil shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea, where as many as 25,000 ships sail every year and 3 million barrels of oil pass everyday.
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