Sanaa, March 20 (RHC)-- At least 142 people have been killed and nearly 351 wounded after three bomb attacks hit mosques crowded with worshippers in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, in quick succession.  Witnesses said two bombers carried out an attack inside the Badr mosque in southern Sana’a during midday prayers on Friday. 

One walked inside the mosque and detonated his explosive device, causing panic and making dozens of worshippers rush toward the outside gates.  A second bomber then attacked at the gate as panicked worshippers tried to flee.

A third bomber reportedly targeted al-Hashoosh mosque in northern Sana’a. One witness at the mosque said the force of the explosion threw him a couple of meters away.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombings, but the acts of terror bear the hallmarks of those carried out by the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which is based in Yemen.

The attacks come a day after intense gun battles between supporters and opponents of fugitive President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi in the southern port city of Aden left more than a dozen people dead and forced closure of the city’s international airport.