Yemeni woman arrested in parcel bomb investigation

Yemeni security forces arrested a female medical student suspected of posting bombs found on two US-bound cargo jets in Dubai and the UK. She was held at a house in the capital Sanaa after being traced through a phone number left with a cargo company on Saturday.

Reuters

Her mother has also been detained. Officials say the bombs bear the hallmarks of al-Qaeda.

Yemeni rights group Hood say they are doubtful the woman, identified as 22-year-old Hanan al-Samawi, was behind the plot as she has no known Islamist links.

US media quote officials saying a Saudi-born bombmaker, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, is the prime suspect.

The leaders of Britain and Germany are due to discuss the security alert in London on Sunday. British Home Secretary Teresa May told the BBC Britain will review its freight screening procedures.

Shortly after the discovery of the bombsi, Britain banned all freight from Yemen from coming into the country, including in transit.