By Fouad Mosaad
SANAA, Yemen
At least 33 people were killed early Thursday in a suicide bombing in Yemeni capital Sanaa, a local security source has said.
The bomber blew himself up while being searched by Shiite Houthi militants near a bank building in the city's Tahrir Square.
Several people were also injured in the blast, according to the source.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack.
Tension has been running high in Sanaa since Houthi militants seized control of the city late last month following weeks of demonstrations and clashes with army forces.
The Houthis have called for demonstrations in Tahrir Square on Thursday to protest the appointment of Ahmed bin Mubarak, the director of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi's office, as prime minister.
The Houthis have described bin Mubarak's appointment to the premiership as "taking orders" from Washington, which – along with calls for Thursday protests – prompted him to decline the post.
Yemen has been dogged by political turmoil since the 2012 ouster of longtime ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh.
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