Yemen’s ousted leader Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed by Houthi rebels near the capital, Sanaa, a development expected to have major implications for the war in the Arab world’s poorest country.
The death was first announced on Monday by the Sanaa-based interior ministry, controlled by Saleh’s allies-turned-foes, the Houthi rebel group.
His killing was later confirmed to Al Jazeera by Saleh’s political party, the General People’s Congress (GPC).
Footage circulating on social media appeared to display a body resembling Saleh, with one video showing how armed militia members used a blanket to move the corpse into the back of a pick-up truck.
There were earlier reports that the Houthi rebels blew up one of Saleh’s houses, after storming the property.
Houthi sources said Saleh was killed by the rebels in a rocket-propelled grenade and shooting attack on his car at a checkpoint outside Sanaa.
According to Al Jazeera, in a statement read out on a Houthi TV network, the interior ministry announced the “killing” of “Saleh and his supporters”.
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