SANAA, Nov 4: Six alleged Al Qaeda members, including a key suspect being hunted by Yemen for alleged links to Osama bin Laden, were killed when their car exploded, a source close to Yemen’s government said on Monday.

The source said it was not yet clear what had caused Sunday’s car explosion in the Marib oil-producing province, 170kms east of Sanaa. But he said the car appeared to have been carrying explosives. There has been no official comment so far on the blast and the source said security forces were still investigating.

He said the six men in the car were Yemenis suspected of links to the Al Qaeda. The source said one of the men was Qaed Senyan al-Harthi, also known as Abu Ali, one of two key suspects that local security forces have been trying to hunt down for questioning since the hijacked plane attacks on New York and Washington.

Yemen is keen to shake off its reputation as a haven for militants and says it is holding 85 people arrested in a manhunt for Al Qaeda members.

The rugged mountainous area between Sanaa and Marib is a stronghold for armed tribesmen blamed by the government for many kidnappings of tourists and foreigners working in Yemen in recent years.—Reuters