British ambassador to Yemen Tim Torlot survived a suicide attack suspected to be launched by al- Qaida that targeted his convoy in Sanaa on Monday, a security official of Interior Ministry told Xinhua.

The official who required anonymity said the bomber ignited the explosive carried with him when the convey of British ambassador was passing by, but Torlot was unharmed as the explosion was small. Yemeni Interior Ministry said al-Qaida was behind the attack.

The source said an investigation is underway and the police has collected the body of the suicide bomber and tried to identify him by making a DNA identification test.

Al-Qaida has not issued any statement to claim responsibility of the attack till now, but the security official said the attack was "their old tactics."

The British embassy is shut down after the attack.

On January 3, Britain and the United States announced that their embassies in Yemen temporarily closed due to threats of the "al-Qaida branch of the Arabian peninsula."