Attackers assassinated the head of security for the United States Embassy in Yemen today, targeting the man, Qassem Aqlani, in an attack near his home in the capital city of Sanaa.

The attackers were on a single motorcycle, opened fire killing Aqlani and fled the scene. The Yemen government gave no indication they had specific leads, but said the attack “bore the hallmark” of al-Qaeda.

The US has dramatically increased security at the already fortified Yemen embassy over the past month, after a September 11 attack on the consulate in Benghazi killed the US Ambassador to Libya, and another attack hit the Yemen embassy just days later.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the organization’s Yemen-based auxiliary, has been targeting Yemeni security officials in recent months over the summer offensive against the Abyan Province. As the attacks were done with US military advisers calling some of the shots and US drones providing air support, it would make sense that they would also target US interests in the nation.

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