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2015 Sana'a mosque bombings
Part of the Yemeni Crisis
Location of Sana'a in Yemen
Location	Sana'a, Sana'a Governorate, Yemen
Date	20 March 2015 (2015-03-20) (UTC+03:00)
Target	Houthi Shi'a worshippers
Attack type	quadruple suicide bombing
Deaths	142
Injured	351
Perpetrators	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (claimed responsibility)

The 2015 Sana'a mosque bombings were four suicide attacks on 20 March 2015 in Sana'a, Yemen. The al-Badr and al-Hashoosh mosques came under suicide attack during midday prayers. The blasts killed 142 people and wounded more than 351, making it the deadliest terrorist attack in Yemen's history. One suicide bomber blew up outside the gate of al-Badr mosque when he was caught by militia guards, and the second detonated his device among fleeing people inside the mosque. Another pair of bombers blew up at Al-Hashahush mosque.

The targeted mosques are linked to the Houthis, a group of the Zaidiyyah sect of Shia Islam. The Houthis deposed the Yemeni government earlier in 2015 after they took control of Sana'a the previous year.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attack. Bruce Riedel of the Brookings Institute, however, believes it was more likely carried out by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). AQAP denied this, citing instructions from Ayman al-Zawahiri to not attack mosques or markets. If ISIL was responsible, these would be the first attacks it has carried out in Yemen.

In a televised speech on March 22, Houthi leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi accused US and Israel of supporting the terrorists attacks. He also blamed regional Arab states for financing terrorist groups operating inside Yemen.

On 27 March, Fars News Agency reported that a senior member of the popular Ansarullah movement had disclosed that the group had information and evidence at hand showing that US had played the main role in ongoing unrests and terrorist attacks in Yemen. "The movement has collected documents which unveil that the US has been playing a role in Yemen's current terrorist operations," member of Ansarullah Executive Committee Ali Qassem Al-Shahdi told FNA. He explained that Ansarullah had acquired these documents after taking control of Yemen's National Security Office which had close cooperation with the CIA and other spy agencies.

The U.S. Department of State called for a stop to any military actions, to be followed by a diplomatic solution. Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations Secretary General, demanded that all sides "immediately cease all hostile actions and exercise maximum restraint."

On 23 March, an Iranian Airbus 310 of Mahan Air loaded with 13-ton package of humanitarian aids as well as aid workers of Iranian Red Crescent landed at Sanaa. On its departure from Yemen, 52 wounded people of the bombings were transferred to Tehran to receive treatment. Iran's deputy ambassador Rasai Ebadi said more aid would come soon.

See also

• 2008 attack on the American Embassy in Yemen
• 2012 Sana'a bombing
• 2013 Sana'a attack
• January 2015 Sana'a bombing
• al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
• Houthi insurgency in Yemen

References

1. ^ "BREAKING: Death toll hits 137 from suicide bomb attacks in Yemen mosques". Albawaba News. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
2. "Yemen mosque bombings 'could only be done by the enemies of life'". Guardian. 21 March 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
3. "Yemen: 120 killed in 2 mosque attacks in capital". CNN. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
4. ^ "Yemen crisis: Islamic State claims Sanaa mosque attacks". BBC News. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
5. "Death toll rises to 87 in Yemen mosque bombings: medical source". Reuters. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
6. "Yemen crisis: Suicide attacks hit Sana'a Houthi mosques". BBC. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
7. "Scores killed in suicide attacks on Yemen mosques". Al-Jazeera. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
8. "Yemen: over 100 dead in suicide bombings at Houthi mosques in Sana'a", by The Guardian
9. "Yemen Division of Islamic State Claims Suicide Bomb Attacks That Killed Scores". The Wall Street Journal. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
10. "Yemen's Islamic State Affiliate Claims Sanaa Attacks". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 March 2015. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
11. "Yemen mosque bombings death toll hits 77". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
12. "46 Killed, 100 Injured in Suicide Attacks on 2 Yemen Mosques". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 March 2015. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
13. Noah Rayman. "ISIS Claims Role in Yemen Attack, But Some Say Al Qaeda Likelier". TIME.com. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
14. "BBC News – Yemen crisis: More than 100 die in attacks on Sanaa mosques". BBC News. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
15. "Ansarullah Leader: US, Israel behind Yemen Terrorist Attacks". Al-Alam News Network. 22 March 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
16. "Ansarullah Says Has Evidence to Substantiate US Role in Terrorist Operations in Yemen". Fars News Agency. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
17. "Yemeni IS Group Claims Sana'a Mosques Blasts". VOA. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
18. http://m.thenational.ae/world/middle-east/first-iran-flight-lands-in-shiite-held-yemen-capital
19. http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=202277&frid=23&seccatid=31&cid=23&fromval=1

• Mass murder in 2015
• 21st century in Sana'a
• Attacks in 2015
• Islamic terrorist incidents in the 2010s
• Suicide bombings in Yemen
• Terrorist incidents connected to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
• Terrorist incidents in Yemen in 2015