Yemeni Woman Arrested In Bomb Plot

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh talks during a press conference Saturday Oct.30, 2010 in San'a, Yemen. "We guarantee the determination of Yemen in confronting and combating terrorism," the president said. (AP Photo)

Yemeni officials announced yesterday the arrests of a woman and her mother in connection with Friday's suspected bomb plot against Jewish synagogues and community centers in Chicago. The two women have not been identified, but a defense lawyer who was in contact with the family identified the 22-year-old woman as an engineering student.

Both Yemeni and U.S. officials are increasingly seeing al-Qaida's influence in the failed plot. But efforts to weaken al-Qaida in Yemen could prove to be a rough row to hoe. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said in a news conference yesterday that his government was taking a hard stance on terrorism. But President Ali can't move forward with stronger anti-terrorism measures without foreign assistance, which will be hard to do in a country with rebellions in its northern and southern regions, an anarchic clan system and strong anti-Western sentiment among its citizens. It's very similar to the situation the U.S. faces combating militants in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, UPS announced that it would immediately suspend cargo shipments from Yemen.