An al-Qaeda-linked group claims responsibility for a suicide attack on a convoy carrying the South Korean ambassador in Yemen last month.

In a statement posted on a website on Friday, 'al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula' claimed responsibility for the attack, boasting that it was a 'well-planned' operation which demonstrates the 'incapacity' of the Yemeni security forces.

It also accused the Yemeni Foreign Ministry of trying to 'hide the number of losses in the operation'.

The authenticity of the statement could not be confirmed, a US-based monitoring group said.

Korean forces, who were investigating an earlier bombing that killed four of their compatriots in Yemen, were attacked on their way to Sanaa international airport on March 18.

The bomber apparently missed his target by triggering his explosive belt seconds after the convoy passed by, leaving no casualties behind.

Yemen is considered an al-Qaeda stronghold and has witnessed a number of attacks on tourist sites, foreign missions and oil installations in the past few years.

FF/SME/MMA