Protesters angered by a film they consider blasphemous to Islam have stormedĀ the U.S. Embassy compound in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in the most recent attackĀ on U.S. diplomatic posts in the Middle East.
Protesters smashed windows as they breached the embassy perimeter and reachedĀ the compound grounds, although they did not enter the main building housing theĀ offices. Angry young men brought down the U.S. flag in the courtyard, burned itĀ and replaced it with a black banner bearing Islam’s declaration of faith ā “There is no God but Allah.”
Yemeni security forces who rushed to the scene fired in the air and used tearĀ gas to disperse the demonstrators, driving them out of the compound after aboutĀ 45 minutes and sealing off the surrounding streets. It was not immediately clearĀ whether anyone was inside the embassy at the time of the attack.
Demonstrators removed the embassy’s sign on the outer wall, set tires ablazeĀ and pelted the compound with rocks.
Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi ordered an investigation into theĀ attack.
Hadi avowed to bring the culprits to justice, saying the attack by a “rowdyĀ crowd” was part of a conspiracy to derail Yemen’s close relations withĀ Washington.
The Embassy of the Republic of Yemen in Washington, D.C. said in a statementĀ obtained by Fox News that Yemen strongly condemned the attack on the U.S.Ā compound, but says the situation is under control.
“Fortunately no casualties were reported from this chaotic incident. TheĀ government of Yemen will honor international obligations to ensure the safety ofĀ diplomats and will step up security presence around all foreign missions,” theĀ statement said. “We strongly urge all those that would wish to incite others toĀ violence to cease immediately.
Pentagon officials tell Fox News that Pentagon and U.S. Navy officials areĀ monitoring the situation in Yemen, but so far have received no request forĀ military assistance there following the Embassy breach.
“We are doing everything we can to support our mission in Yemen,” a seniorĀ administration official told Fox News. “We’ve had good cooperation from theĀ Yemeni government which is working with us to maintain order and protect ourĀ facilities and people.”
The movie cited in the attacks, “Innocence of Muslims,” came to attention inĀ Egypt after its trailer was dubbed into Arabic and posted on YouTube. TheĀ video-sharing website blocked access to it Wednesday. The trailer depictsĀ Muhammad as a fraud, a womanizer and a madman in an overtly ridiculing way,Ā showing him having sex and calling for massacres.
The Yemen incident was similar to an attack on the U.S. Embassy in theĀ Egyptian capital of Cairo on Tuesday night. A mob of Libyans also attacked theĀ U.S. consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi on Tuesday, killing AmericanĀ Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.
Three diplomats injured in the Libyan attack are being treated at an AmericanĀ military hospital in Germany and one of the two most seriously wounded isĀ expected to leave the intensive care unit on Thursday
A State Department status report obtained by The Associated Press says theĀ third injured staffer is awake and alert at the Landstuhl Regional MedicalĀ Center near the Ramstein Air Base, where 33 uninjured consulate personnel areĀ staying and receiving military counseling. All were evacuated from BenghaziĀ early Wednesday and arrived in Germany late that afternoon along with theĀ remains of the four diplomats.
According to the report, the injured staffers “are doing relatively well” andĀ most want to return to Libya.
In Iraq, several hundred Shiite hardliners protested in Baghdad’s ShiiteĀ stronghold of Sadr City. The leader of an Iranian-backed Shiite militia thatĀ previously attacked U.S. troops, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, threatened anti-U.S.Ā attacks.
The movie “will put all the American interests in Iraq in danger,” theĀ militia leader, Qais al-Khazali, told The Associated Press.
The warning capped a day of growing tensions in Baghdad, where hundreds ofĀ Shiite followers of the anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr demanded theĀ closure of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad over the anti-Islam movie.
Protestors burned American flags and carried banners reading, “We reject theĀ attack on the Prophet Mohammed.”
“No, no, to Israel! No, no to America!” thousands shouted in the ShiiteĀ stronghold of Sadr City in northeast Baghdad. “Yes, yes for Messenger ofĀ God!”
There was no immediate response Thursday from the U.S. Embassy inĀ Baghdad.
In Iran, about 50 protesters shouted, “Death to America,” outside the SwissĀ Embassy, which looks after U.S. diplomatic interests in Iran. Riot police keptĀ the crowd away from the building.
On Thursday, Egyptian protesters also clashed with police near the U.S.Ā Embassy in Cairo for the third day in a row. Police used tear gas to disperseĀ the protesters and the two sides pelted each other with rocks. But unlikeĀ Tuesday, the police kept the protesters away from the embassy’s compound.
The Interior Ministry, which is in charge of police, said 16 protesters andĀ 13 policemen were wounded in the clashes, which broke out overnight and wereĀ ongoing. Twelve protesters have been arrested, it said.
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi criticized the movie Thursday during aĀ visit to the European Union in Brussels.
“We condemn strongly … all those who launch such provocations and who standĀ behind that hatred,” Morsi said, adding that he had asked Obama “to put an endĀ to such behavior.”
But Morsi also urged the Egyptian people to not engage in “unlawfulĀ acts.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.