Qaeda kills Yemeni for 'sorcery' local official

ADEN - Suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen killed a Yemeni man in Hadramawt province Friday after accusing him of sorcery and practising black magic, which are banned under Islam, a local official said.

Hussein al-Jaafari was gunned down as he left his home in Tarim and died on the spot, the official added.

The victim had been accused of practising sorcery and black magic, and his suspected killers belonged to the extremist Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, he said.

AQAP is active in the south and east of Yemen, having taken advantage of a collapse of central authority during a 2011 uprising that ousted veteran strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh.

It is considered by Washington as the most dangerous affiliate of the jihadist network for its role in failed attacks against the United States.

In addition to launching regular attacks on the security forces, AQAP has also murdered several people it accused of sorcery or being homosexual, citing Islamic law.