Yemen's Islamists on Mosque Attacks

On March 20, suicide bomb attacks on two mosques killed at least 135 people and injured more than 300 others in Sanaa, Yemen. The two mosques were frequented by Houthis, who follow the Zaydi Shiite branch of Islam. Houthi rebels stormed the Yemeni capital of Sanaa in September and now control nine of Yemen’s 21 provinces. The following are statements from Islamist militant groups and political parties on the attacks.

Houthis

Mohammed al Bukhaiti, an official in the Houthi Political Council, blamed the West, Sunnis, and AQAP for the attacks. He made the following statement.

"They all move as one team, and they are supported by the United States and Britain, and this alliance is funded by Saudi Arabia and Qatar."

--March 20, 2015, according to the Washington Post

ISIS

ISIS – also known as ISIL, Daesh, or the Islamic State – considers the Houthis heretics. A group called the Sanaa Province, which is allegedly an ISIS affiliate, has claimed responsibility for the attacks. U.S. officials, however, could not immediately confirm the link between the attackers and ISIS's core leadership in Iraq and Syria. The following are excerpts from Sanaa Province's statement:

"Infidel Houthis should know that the soldiers of the Islamic State will not rest until they eradicate them... and cut off the arm of the Safavid (Iranian) plan in Yemen." 

The attacks were the “tip of the iceberg” before an “upcoming flood” of attacks against the Houthis.

The attack was a “blessed operation” against the “dens of the Shias.”

Translations via Al-Jazeera, CNN, and ABC

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)

Like ISIS, AQAP strongly opposes the Houthis and has carried out suicide attacks against them in the past. But AQAP quickly denied involvement in the latest attack, claiming that mosques are not legitimate targets for violence.

"We stress that we abide by the instructions of Sheikh Ayman Zawahiri, to avoid targeting mosques and markets... to protect the lives of innocent Muslims.”

--March 21, 2015 in a statement

Yemeni Islah Party

The attacks also drew condemnation from the Yemeni Islah Party, which has roots in the Muslim Brotherhood and is Yemen’s largest Islamist political party. They group released the following statements.

التجمع اليمني للإصلاح يدين بشدة التفجيرات الارهابية الشنيعة بصنعاء نص البيان | http://t.co/t5w4dZFaVKpic.twitter.com/vgXrqGJAZY

— حزب الإصلاح اليمني (@yemislah) March 20, 2015

Translation: “The Yemeni Islah Party strongly condemns the heinous terrorist bombings in Sanaa.”

“Islah strongly condemns the heinous terrorist bombings that targeted Badr mosque in Assafya area and al-Hashush mosque in Jiraf area in the center of the capital Sanaa and has resulted in dozens of martyrs and wounded.

In its statement issued today, the Secretariat of Islah said that what happened was a tragic shocking scene and dangerous precedent, where the treachery hand extended to mosques to assassinate innocents to reflect the imminent danger size that lurks Yemenis, considering that these heinous acts have no a religion nor a brooder.

The Secretariat condoles families of martyrs and prays to God to heal the wounded and injured, and calls on the security services to bear their responsibility represented in the arrest of the perpetrators and those who stand behind, reveal their real identity and bring them to justice.

And Islah calls on all political and social forces, civil events and scholars to confront the phenomenon of sedition that threatens the nation and sensor dangers faced by the Yemeni people and to work urgently to prevent the killers and criminals to achieve their goals and miss the opportunity for those who tamper with the blood of Yemenis, security, coexistence and national unity.

 Issued by the General Secretariat of Islah Sanaa - March 20, 2015”

--March 20, 2015, via Islah’s official website

Click here for more information on Islamists in Yemen.