Two Killed in Attack on Yemen 'Prostitution' Hotel

Armed Islamists on Wednesday attacked a hotel in Aden that they suspected of hosting prostitutes and set it on fire, causing the death of two who tried to escape from windows, Yemeni police said.

The gunmen opened fire on workers at the Layali Dubai (Dubai Nights) hotel, in the Sanafir neighborhood in the southern city, "before they set the hotel on fire, causing the death of two and injuring 15 guests," a police official told Agence France Presse.

Witnesses said many guests fell as they used ropes to escape from upper floors of the five-storey hotel, which more than 10 gunmen had set on fire.

A medic at Jomhuriya hospital said 13 people suffering broken bones were admitted.

Al-Qaida linked militants are active in southern Yemen, where lawless regions have become safe havens for the local branch of the jihadist network.