The failed attempt to blow up an aircraft over US city of Detroit on Christmas Day, claimed by al-Qaeda militants in Yemen, has had wide ranging repercussions.

President Barack Obama publicly rebuked the intelligence community for its failings and the Yemeni authorities launched a massive campaign against Islamist insurgents.

Foreign missions in Sana'a shutdown operations temporarily after receiving credible threats from al-Qaeda's Yemen-based group and security has been beefed up at airports across the globe.

A Yemeni security operation targeting al-Qaeda insurgents, launched after considerable US pressure to rein in militants, has succeeded in capturing a key al-Qaeda leader along with seven other Islamist insurgents.

On Wednesday, a Yemeni security official said Mohammed al-Hanq, believed to be behind the threats that closed down the US, British and French embassies in the capital Sana'a on Sunday, was arrested in a hospital late on Tuesday. The successful operation has met Washington's security concerns and it has reopened its - heavily fortified - embassy, as have Britain and France.

Global threat
The botched Christmas Day attack focused the world's attention on Yemen after the would-be bomber claimed he was trained there by al-Qaeda militants.

The strategically-placed country at the tip of the Arabian peninsula is facing myriad problems; it is the poorest Arab nation and its oil reserves are dwindling rapidly, its population is exploding and it is facing severe water shortages while also battling separatist unrest in the south, a Shi'ite rebellion in the north and a resurgent al-Qaeda threat.

Just after the thwarted attack, General David Petraeus, US military commander in the region, flew to Sana'a for talks with Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The general reaffirmed Washington's support for the fight against terrorism although some analysts doubt that the central government can regain control over the more lawless provinces even with increased US support. The parlous security situation was highlighted again on Monday when US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told journalists, "The instability in Yemen is a threat to regional stability and even global stability."

Intelligence failures
The president's domestic critics seized the failed attack to suggest that Mr Obama is soft on terror and he has been under intense pressure.

On Tuesday, an uncharacteristically angry president publicly reprimanded secret service chiefs for the intelligence "screw up" that left almost 300 people vulnerable to attack. In a nationally televised address, the president said that although U.S. intelligence has had considerable success, the botched Christmas Day attack shows "the system has failed" in a major way.

The president told reporters, "When a suspected terrorist is able to board a plane with explosives on Christmas Day, the system has failed in a potentially disastrous way. The U.S. government had sufficient information to have uncovered this plot and potentially disrupt the attack, but our intelligence community failed to connect those dots, which would have placed the suspect on the no-fly list," Obama said.

He concluded, "It is increasingly clear that intelligence was not fully analysed or fully leveraged", adding, "that's not acceptable, and I will not tolerate it".

The Obama administration has launched a range of measures to prevent a repeat of the Christmas Day attack; the terrorist watch list has been reviewed, dozens have been added to the no-fly list and all passengers travelling to or from 14 countries linked to terrorism will undergo compulsory screening.

The White House says further measures are on the way and President Obama announced the suspension of the transfer of Guantanamo Bay prisoners to Yemen but reiterated his vow to close down the controversial prison camp; "make no mistake, we will close Guantanamo prison, which has damaged our national security interests and become a tremendous recruiting tool for al-Qaeda".

Photos: Yemini soldiers outside government building in Sana'a - ANP
            Road blocks in Yemen - EPA