Bomb blast, firefight at Yemeni defense ministry leave 52 dead

Assailants in military uniforms crashed an explosives-laden car into the Yemeni Defense Ministry gates in Sanaa early Thursday, setting off a chaotic firefight with heavy weapons and a secondary blast. The death toll rose to 52 during the day with dozens more wounded. Al Qaeda is suspected of staging the attack in a crowded part of the Yemeni capital.