SAN'A Yemen - The British ambassador narrowly escaped what appeared to be a suicide attack on his armored car while traveling to work on Monday morning, Yemeni officials said.

British Embassy spokeswoman Chantel Mortimer said the ambassador, Timothy Torlot, was unhurt, but the attack underlined the precarious security in Yemen. An impoverished Arab nation in the southern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen has in recent years become a haven for Al-Qaida militants taking advantage of the government's limited authority outside major cities and tribal control over the rest of the country.

The Yemeni officials said the vehicle was passing through a poor neighborhood in the eastern part of San'a when an explosion went off nearby. They said they believed the attacker was wearing an explosives belt and that he was killed in the explosion.