Protesters forced back after rushing walls of U.S. Embassy in Yemen

Yemeni protesters outside the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Sept. 13, 2012. / Getty

Updated at 5:52 a.m. Eastern

(CBS News) LONDON - There were clashes Thursday between anti-U.S. protesters and Yemeni police at the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa. CBS News sources say a large group of protesters reached the walled compound, but failed to breach any of the buildings inside the compound as police fired warning shots to try to disperse the crowd.

All U.S. embassies and diplomatic posts were ordered to increase security measures Wednesday by President Obama, following the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Tuesday.

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The number of protesters in Sanaa was estimated between 3,000 and 4,000, according to sources speaking to CBS News partner network Sky News.

Yemen is the home of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), one of the most active and dangerous terror groups linked to the central al Qaeda organization. The U.S. military and intelligence agencies have worked alongside Yemeni officials to counter the Islamic extremist element inside the country. Many drone strikes have been carried out, allegedly by the U.S., in the last year targeting militants in Yemen.

There has been mounting concern among Western security services that AQAP and the al Qaeda franchise in north Africa, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), have been sharing resources.

The clashes at the embassy came as protests continued Thursday outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt - the first location where Muslim anger apparently aimed at a video ridiculing the Islamic prophet Muhammad manifested itself on Tuesday.

CBS News correspondent Holly Williams reports the clashes in Cairo again became violent on Wednesday, as protesters tried to push toward the embassy compound walls. Egyptian riot police used shields and batons to push them back from walls, but resorted to tear gas when the protesters continued advancing.

The crowd eventually thinned out, but Williams says a small group of protesters remained in front of the embassy all night.

Thursday morning there were sporadic clashes again with riot police, who were out in force, possibly expecting bigger crowds later in day.

Williams reports that the clashes in Cairo have caused some tension with the U.S. for Egypt's fledgling democracy, led by President Mohamed Morsi.

Morsi received a call from President Obama Wednesday night, during which Mr. Obama, "underscored the importance of Egypt following through on its commitment to cooperate with the United States in securing U.S. diplomatic facilities and personnel," according to the White House.

That statement from the White House implies the Obama administration was critical of the Egyptian authorities' response to the demonstrations on Tuesday, when protesters breached the embassy compound and managed to tear down and burn the U.S. flag.

CBS News' Alex Ortiz reports that, since Morsi won the recent presidential elections in Egypt with huge support from conservative Muslims, security around the U.S. Embassy in Cairo had been visibly reduced.

Williams says Morsi is now in a difficult position. On the one hand Egypt has been a strong ally to the U.S. in the Middle East, and while those relations have cooled slightly since Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood rose to power, the ties are still important. The protests at the embassy won't do the relationship any good, and that explains the now heavy presence of riot police.

On the on other hand, however, Morsi knows that his base of support is still with the nation's conservative Muslims, and that explains his government's strong condemnation of the mysterious anti-Muslim video which appeared on Youtube his summer, and which has been the catalyst for the protests in Egypt and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, there was reportedly a warning Thursday from an Iraqi militant group linked to the powerful anti-U.S. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, that U.S. interests in Iraq were "in danger" over the movie. The Asaib al-Haq militia, a Shiite group based in Iraq's south, had already urged Iraq's government to ban the video and hold the U.S. responsible for it's production - though it remains unclear whether the movie - if it exists as a full-length film - was even produced in the United States.

While there has been nothing to suggest the U.S. government or any individuals connected to it had anything to do with the production of the vitriolic 15-minute clip on Youtube, which is allegedly a promotion clip for a bigger movie called the "Innocence of Muslims," extremist Muslim groups around the world have been quick to use it as propaganda - suggesting it is the product of what many jihadists believe is an American war on Islam.

[naksuthin]

For centuries three religions have been at the core of much of the hatred, bigotry and killings going on in this world: Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

For over a 1000 years they've fought and killed each other in crusades, inquisitions, invasions, wars, burnings, and executions.

Even today Christians hate Jews, Jews hate Muslims, Muslims hate Christians, Christians hate Muslims, Protestants hate Catholics, Shiites hate Sunnis'

All three religions teach the same thing: That our God is the only true God; that our beliefs are the only truth; and that the other guy's Gods are false

The sad thing is that these religions all spring from the same source and all are really suppose to teach love, forgiveness, tolerance, kindness and peace.

Instead they all engage in hate, revenge, intolerance, and war.

The world world would be a much better place if these three religions had never existed.

[GarryGR14]

i'm probably the 50th person to point this out, but here goes again. it's stated, ". . . that explains his government's strong condemnation of the mysterious anti-Muslim video which appeared on Youtube his summer, and which has been the catalyst for the protests in Egypt and elsewhere". the video appeared "this summer" but the riots occur on 9/11; obviously, this was one of many excuses that could have been chosen for the 9/11 protests. This was a tried and true, often used excuse! :)

[GarryGR14]

i'm probably the 50th person to point this out, but here goes again. it's stated, ". . . that explains his government's strong condemnation of the mysterious anti-Muslim video which appeared on Youtube his summer, and which has been the catalyst for the protests in Egypt and elsewhere". the video appeared "this summer" but the riots occur on 9/11; obviously, this was one of many excuses that could have been chosen for the 9/11 protests. This was a tried and true, often used excuse! :)

[EuroPride20x]

People say there is this RACE problem and this RACE problem will be solved when the third world pours into EVERY White country and ONLY into White countries. They say the final solution to this RACE problem is for EVERY White country and ONLY White countries to "assimilate," i.e., intermarry, with all those non-Whites. It's really just the final solution to the White problem. It's genocide. They say they are anti-racist. What they are is anti-White. Anti-racist is a code word for anti-White.

[aintfakin]

Sam671 September 13, 2012 1:24 PM EDT
netjunk

The suggestion that Republicans hate black people is as much a load of garbage as it is offensive!
------------------------------------------
sorry Sam
you are the one fullofcrap
I meet a lot of the public every day in my business
always run into a few who are more than eager to share their racist jokes about Obama with me.
So should I lump them together with all conservatives like conservatives lump all democrats with deadbeats or all muslims with these extremists?

[cubscout09]

The difference is each of us has the right to ask that we not be subjected to racist jokes, about anyone. It's a matter of personal judgment, trust me.

[redought]

I meet a lot of racist people too.....most of them aren't white.

[melbatom]

BIG PROBLEM


The major question that arises is JUST why do some Muslims hate the USA? The real issue is the failure of our government to explain what is REALLY going on with us and Islamic States. Let me point out to you the facts based on the Koran and what it says about our current state of affairs.

The Koran originally written was hard to read and understand as it given piece meal to Mohammad in the originally translations. This caused us a large misunderstanding of the PRACTICE of a faith but now that it has been properly rewritten and properly phrased in a way we can read the Koran and the confusion is being moved out of the picture.

The issue is the relationship between Muslim and NON Muslim States. Taxes are applied in Muslim States but that can not be a real factor that will maintain and cause growth of any Muslim area. The Koran also deals with a form of tax that is called JIZYAN which is payment of money to aid government in the obligation to maintain a State for people. That special tax is to be paid by NON Muslim States that do no practice Muslim Faith and is to aid in the growth of the Islamic nation. The Question that comes out of this is do we , the UNITED STATES, pay such a tax to Muslim States? The Answer is YES we do and have for many many Years. We call this tax--
OIL!
Observation of the Koran says that it is important that we protect the Islamic States to avoid WAR. Not to pay this tax is to insure that War is coming based on what the Koran orders its beliers to accomplish. One is to demand this compensation to enhance the wealth of all Islamic States. The Issue obviously was settled around the Oil which is paid for by all Nations NOT Islamic to maintain a peaceful relationship.

This cause us a problem:

We have enough Oil to eliminate all imports from ANY Muslim State. It could well be that the conflict we see rising right now is once again to enforce this threat based on the coming Election which COULD end all support to Islam by Western States.

Observation makes it plain that what we are seeing right now in the political arena is clearly Islamic in nature. Think not! Look at Universal Health Care backed by Islam. How about No work No eat? Payment of tax by NON Islam States is correct (sometimes its called gift) is drawn from the Koran. There is a great deal more but the OIL payment is clearly compensation to States that are Muslim to compensate for non attack. That is why we can get cooperation with governments in these areas when a battle occurs.

The attacks in Libya and Egypt are clearly Radical Muslim groups that WANT a share of funds being sent into these States which they obviously are not getting. They are attempting to FORCE payment via internal conflict. We are going to have to decide to DRILL DRILL DRILL to end all control over us in this type of world. You can bet it will soon be TOTALLY Islamic if a change does not occur. Your hands are tied right now BUT will we set ourselves free?

I don't understand why our government will not get honest and tell us the truth about where we are in this matter. You can bet the Media is involved PLUS at lest one political party. Incidentally Islam is opposed to Private Insurance Companies. Boy is there a lot more. Look it up for yourself.

We will talk about IRAN and several others some other time.

[twmat311]

A self described fundamentalist Christian was on talk radio yesterday; his line was that all - especially all Muslims - needed to accept Jesus Christ as savior, otherwise they are sinners and will perish. He was asked "do you have any Jewish friends?" Yes. "Are they 'ok' by your thinking?" Of course. "But Muslims aren't because they don't accept Christ?" That's right. (the interviewer paused a few seconds to sink that in.)

They're out there folks. Sometimes way out there - and they know they're right.

[jechaucer]

When are Americans and the world going to realize that Muslims hate Americans and the Muslims must be eliminated. There will be no peace in the world as long as Muslims are allowed to exist. Don't listen to the nonsense that its the extremists or radical Muslims. It is all Muslims that hate America. They hate our beliefs, how we live, our whole culture. Our great military could do the job and be done before lunch.

[netjunkie1]

It's pittyful that the islamists live in the 600s AD. The only way to treat them is by using 600 AD warfare.
Destroying entire cities was what they did.
I suggest picking an islamist holy site, and making the area uninhabitable, and show them what the hand of god looks like.

[netjunkie1]

There is more evidence of extraterrestrial visitation than for any deity on this planet.

[UForgotPoland]

Don't Muslims have anything better to do than attack Americans and riot? Don't they like have jobs or school?