Gunmen kill Yemen judge known for al-Qaida prison sentences

Yemeni security officials say masked gunmen have killed a prominent judge who was known for sentencing al-Qaida militants to prison in the southern port city of Aden.

They say gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire today on Judge Mohsen Alwan’s vehicle in Aden’s Mansoura neighborhood, killing him and three others.

No one immediately claimed the attack, but officials suspect al-Qaida’s Yemen branch was behind it. Al-Qaida militants have previously used motorcycles in their assassinations. Al-Qaida has recently made land grabs in southern and eastern Yemen, exploiting the chaos of the country’s larger conflict, which pits Shiite Houthi rebels allied with a former president against the internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led and U.S.-backed coalition. The officials spoke anonymously because they are not authorized to brief the media.