Toll rises in Taiz museum rampage

Source: Saaba news

[13/December/2009]

TAIZ, Dec. 13 (Saba) - The death toll from the shooting at the Taiz National Museum climbed to seven people on Sunday, according to the Almotamar website.

Officials in the Yemeni western province said guards were among the dead and four others were hurt when one of the guards at the museum opened fire this evening.

Preliminary reports suggested that three guards were killed and six civilians wounded.

Deputy police director in the province Abdul Halim Noman said the shooter was caught after troops besieged the museum. He was arrested while aiming his gun at the heads of his victims.

His name and age have not been disclosed yet.

The hurt were rushed to a hospital, he noted.

An investigation is underway to know motives for the terrible crime, a security source in the city said.

Such incidents are uncommon in Yemen, where guns in civilian hands, according to reliable figures, have more than doubled the population in recent years. Many campaigns were conducted to disarm the public, with authorities seizing tens of thousands of guns.