Article:
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Michael Brown's relatives said goodbye Monday to the 18-year-old who was shot and killed by a police officer, remembering him as a "gentle soul" with a deep and growing faith in Christianity and ambitions that one day "the world would know his name."

 People attending the funeral services for Michael Brown sing on Monday, Aug. 25, 2014, at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis. Brown, who is black, was unarmed when he was shot in Ferguson,... (Associated Press)

 People begin to line up for the funeral of Michael Brown, Monday, Aug. 25, 2014, in St. Louis. Brown, who is black, was unarmed when he was shot Aug. 9, by Officer Darren Wilson, who is white. A grand... (Associated Press)

 Director Spike Lee takes a picture of a black St. Louis Cardinals baseball cap on top of Michael Brown's casket on Monday, Aug. 25, 2014, during the funeral services at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist... (Associated Press)

 The casket of Michael Brown is seen at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis, Monday, Aug. 25, 2014, before his funeral. Brown, who is black, was unarmed when he was shot in Ferguson,... (Associated Press)

 Photos surround the casket of Michael Brown before the start of his funeral at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis, Monday, Aug. 25, 2014. Brown, who is black, was unarmed when he... (Associated Press)

 The casket of Michael Brown sits inside Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church awaiting the start of his funeral on Monday, Aug. 25, 2014. Brown, who is black, was unarmed when he was shot Aug. 9 in... (Associated Press)

 People line up to make a path for the families' and friends' arrival at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church during the funeral for Michael Brown Monday, Aug. 25, 2014, in St. Louis. Brown, who is... (Associated Press)

 People gather inside Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church for the funeral for Michael Brown on Monday, Aug. 25, 2014, in St. Louis. Brown, who is black, was unarmed when he was shot Aug. 9 in Ferguson,... (Associated Press)

 Lesley McSpadden is comforted during the funeral services for her son Michael Brown on Monday, Aug. 25, 2014, at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis. Hundreds of people gathered to... (Associated Press)

 People begin to line up to attend the funeral for Michael Brown, Monday, Aug. 25, 2014, in St. Louis. Brown, who is black, was unarmed when he was shot Aug. 9 by Officer Darren Wilson, who is white. A... (Associated Press)

 Thousands of mourners filled the massive Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis for the funeral, which began with upbeat music punctuated by clapping. Some mourners danced in place, and ushers passed out water and tissues.

 Eric Davis, one of Brown's cousins, urged the crowd to go to the polls and push for change, saying the community has had "enough of the senseless killings."

 Brown's uncle, Bernard Ewing, described Brown as a "big guy, but a kind, gentle soul." He recalled his nephew once telling the family that someday his name would be known by the wider world.

 "He did not know he was offering up a divine prophecy at that time," Ewing said.

 Another uncle, pastor Charles Ewing, said in his eulogy that Brown's "blood is crying from the ground, crying for vengeance, crying for justice."

 Among the mourners was Will Acklin, a black man from Little Rock, Arkansas.

 "It's important in that as a child I was pushed by police, mistreated by police, cursed by police, and I was a good kid," said Acklin, who is 63. "I was an honor student. When I heard this, I felt compelled to come here and show my respects."

 Angela Pierre, a machine operator who once lived in Ferguson, where the shooting happened and fueled nearly two weeks of street protests, said she hopes the funeral helps turn a page and eases tensions. Most important, though, she hopes it provides healing for Brown's family.

 "I really wanted to just be here today to pray for the family and pray for peace," said Pierre, 48, who is black. "When all of this dies down, there still a mother, father and a family who's lost someone. Sometimes a lot of the unrest takes away from that."

 The church's sanctuary, which seats about 2,500, filled quickly. Overflow rooms holding another 2,000 were full, too.

 With the church at capacity, many people could not get in and instead waited outside, crowded into shady areas on a day when the temperature was expected to come close to 100 degrees. Ambulance crews were on hand in case of any heat-related illnesses.

 Poster-size photos of Brown, wearing headphones, were on each side of the closed casket, which had a St. Louis Cardinals ball cap atop it. Large projection screens showed a photo of Brown clutching his high school diploma while wearing his cap and gown. He had been scheduled to start training at a technical school two days after his death. He wanted to become a heating and air-conditioning technician.

 Brown's father, Michael Brown Sr., has asked protesters to take a break Monday and observe a "day of silence" so the family can grieve.

 "Tomorrow all I want is peace," he told hundreds of people Sunday in St. Louis' largest city park during brief remarks at a festival that promotes peace over violence. "That's all I ask."

 Early Monday morning, Brown's request appeared to be honored. At the Ferguson Police Department, where a small but steady group of protesters have stood vigil for two weeks, a handmade sign announced a "break for funeral." The West Florissant Avenue commercial corridor was also devoid of protesters, whose ranks have typically swelled as days turned to nights.

 Brown was unarmed when he was shot Aug. 9 by officer Darren Wilson, who is white. A grand jury is considering evidence in the case, and a federal investigation is also underway.

 Police have said a scuffle broke out after Wilson told Brown and a friend to move out of the street and onto a sidewalk. Police said Wilson was pushed into his squad car and physically assaulted. Some witnesses have reported seeing Brown's arms in the air — an act of surrender. An autopsy found Brown was shot at least six times.

 Family members denounced a video released by police, who say it shows Brown snatching some cigars in a convenience store just before he was killed. In the video, the person said to be Brown is seen grabbing a clerk by the shirt and forcefully pushing him into a display rack.

 Family and friends say Brown was an aspiring rapper with a gentle, joking manner who dubbed himself "Big Mike." He was good at fixing things, liked computer games, the rapper Lil Wayne, Drake, the movie "Grown Ups 2," and the TV show "Family Guy."

 "We don't want anything tomorrow to happen that might defile the name of Michael Brown," Sharpton said as he stood next to Brown's father on Sunday. "This is not about our rage tomorrow. It's about the legacy and memory of his son."

 President Barack Obama sent three White House aides. Others in attendance included the Rev. Jesse Jackson, moviemaker Spike Lee and entertainer Sean Combs, as well as many local and regional civil rights leaders. The Rev. Al Sharpton was also expected to speak.

 Monday also marked the first day back at school for students in the Ferguson-Florissant School District. Classes were scheduled to begin Aug. 14 but postponed due to safety concerns.

 School personnel have received training in how to deal with students who may be experiencing stress related to the shooting and its aftermath.

 "I'm excited," said Marcus Baker, a junior at McCluer South-Berkeley High School. "We're ready to move forward. But we're still going to remember him."

 ___

 Associated Press Writer Alan Scher Zagier in Ferguson contributed to this report. ||||| St. Louis (CNN) -- The funeral of slain Ferguson, Missouri, teenager Michael Brown was a celebration of his life, a search for meaning in his death and a battle cry to change policing in America.

 The Rev. Al Sharpton delivered one of two eulogies during the service Monday, and he had sharp words for those who looted stores and clashed with police after the teenager was shot.

 "You don't understand that Michael Brown does not want to be remembered for a riot. He wants to be remembered as the one that made America deal with how we're going to police in the United States."

 With a call to action, Sharpton criticized police who pointed rifles at peaceful protesters in Ferguson. "We have to leave here today and change this," he said.

 He urged mourners at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church to respect the Brown family's wish for silence Monday. And when protests resume, Sharpton said "they've asked for it to be peaceful. If you can't control yourself, then don't do it in Michael's name. Do it in your own name."

 Brown's great-uncle, the Rev. Charles Ewing, drew parallels between the teenager's life, death and Scripture during his eulogy on behalf of the family.

 "Michael Brown's blood is crying from the ground, crying for vengeance, crying for justice," he said. "There is a cry being made from the ground, not just for Michael Brown but for the Trayvon Martins, for those children at Sandy Hook Elementary School, for the Columbine massacre, for the black-on-black crime."

 Family members and friends reflecting on their memories of "Mike Mike" recalled him saying, "One day, the world will know my name."

 "Michael was a big guy, but he was a kind, gentle soul, and before he left this Earth, the day that he was killed, he was out spreading the word of Jesus Christ," a family friend said.

 They urged the crowd of thousands of mourners to "show up at the voting polls," because "we have had enough to of seeing our brothers and sisters killed in the streets."

 "If we had more of this," one family member said, referring to the audience and then motioning to Brown's casket, "we could have less of this. It shouldn't have took this to get us together like this."

 A message of hope to a full sanctuary

 Bishop Edwin Bass of the Church of God in Christ told the Brown family that he, too, lost a child to violence on the streets of St. Louis.

 "While this tragic loss will always be with you, the step-by-step, one foot in front of the other march of time will ultimately bring you to a divine place where you will laugh again, you will find the joy of living again, as your thinking shifts from tragedy to the joyful reflection of good times."

 Michael Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, wiped away tears as she stood at the coffin that holds her son's body.

 She wrote a letter to her son published in the funeral program that said in part, "I never want this to go unsaid, there are no words to express how much you mean to me. A son like you, I thought could never be. Because the day you were born, I just know, God sent me a blessing -- and that was you."

 His father, Michael Brown Sr., wrote his own letter, saying, "I always told you I will never let nothing happen to you. And that's what hurt sooooooo much, that I couldn't protect you but we love you. I will never let you die in my heart, you will always live forever."

 The sanctuary, which holds 2,500 people, was filled, and an overflow auditorium was also full. It was estimated by reporters at the service that another 2,000 people were on church property for the funeral in addition to those in the sanctuary.

 Retired mail carrier Hilliard Phillips, who once delivered on the street where Brown was killed, was among the mourners. He said there's power in numbers, and he hoped the outpouring of support for Brown and his family would spur society to take a look at itself.

 "You can't really overnight change the behavior of a person, but sometimes they can be coerced in a sweet way. ... I would hope they could see people coming together in a solemn way to show their respect to someone," he said.

 Following the service, scores of motorcycles ridden by mourners accompanied the funeral procession that carried Brown's body to St. Peter's Cemetery in St. Louis.

 T-shirts and buttons memorializing Michael Brown

 Brown's death on August 9 sparked days of sometimes violent protests in the St. Louis suburb and concern over race and police shootings across the country. In the past several days, things have calmed down, and the town is slowly coming back to life.

 Among the guests at the service were Martin Luther King III and the Rev. Bernice King; the Rev. Jesse Jackson; the families of Trayvon Martin and Sean Bell; and celebrities Spike Lee, Diddy and Snoop Lion.

 The White House sent three officials to the funeral. One of them was Broderick Johnson, who leads the White House's My Brother's Keeper Task Force. He was joined by Marlon Marshall, a St. Louis native who attended high school with Brown's mother, and Heather Foster. Marshall and Foster are part of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

 Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, however, did not attend.

 "The governor has communicated to attorneys representing the family of Michael Brown that he will not be attending today's funeral out of respect for the family, who deserve time to focus on remembering Michael and grieving their loss," spokesman Scott Holste said before the service.

 A tense tranquility

 One sign of a return to normality: Children in the Ferguson-Florissant School District finally started school Monday. The first day had been scheduled for August 18 but was delayed a week because of looting and protests, reported CNN affiliate KMOV.

 Two weeks after the shooting sparked violent protests, the mood turned more tranquil over the weekend, with smaller crowds and lots of music. Gone were police in riot gear and defiant protesters. The tear gas, rubber bullets and Molotov cocktails were nowhere to be seen, either.

 In their place were clusters of officers, hanging around businesses, chatting with one another.

 Race has been at the forefront of the tensions; Brown was African-American, and the officer who shot him is white.

 Two investigations -- one federal and one run by state prosecutors -- are in the early stages of trying to determine what led up to the shooting.

 Investigators are grappling with witness statements that include shifting and contradictory stories, and some who appear to be reciting accounts of what they've seen in the media, two law enforcement sources told CNN.

 Complete coverage of Michael Brown's shooting

 Eliott C. McLaughlin reported from St. Louis, and Michael Pearson and Susanna Capelouto reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz, Evan Perez, Aaron Cooper, Faith Karimi and Dana Ford contributed to this report. ||||| ST. LOUIS — His gold-and-black coffin was topped by a baseball cap — a palpable, personal reminder of the young man who was fatally shot by a police officer only weeks ago. But the calls from the pulpit were for Michael Brown’s memory to live on in a broad movement for justice, for voter participation, and for answers to vexing and unending questions about race and policing.

 “There is a cry being made from the ground, not just for Michael Brown, but for the Trayvon Martins, for those children at Sandy Hook Elementary School, for the Columbine massacre, for the black-on-black crime,” the Rev. Charles Ewing, Mr. Brown’s uncle, told 2,500 people packed into the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church here on Monday for a funeral attended by family members but also by people Mr. Brown had never met — celebrities, representatives from the White House, members of Congress, civil rights leaders and hundreds of residents.

 Infused with Scripture and song, the funeral was a mix of intimate reflections and national policy plans. Relatives reminisced in choked voices about Mr. Brown’s wide smile as a picture from his high school graduation flashed on two wide screens, as leaders urged those gathered to memorialize Mr. Brown’s life by carrying forward a vocal, strong and unified effort to seek change across the country. |||||Summary:

– More than 2,500 mourners crowded Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis this morning to lay Michael Brown to rest, reports the AP, with another 2,000 in overflow seating and national television carrying the 18-year-old's funeral. Brown's casket was closed, with a St. Louis Cardinals cap atop it, notes the Post-Dispatch. His uncle, Bernard Ewing, recalled him as a "big guy, but a kind, gentle soul" in a service that the New York Times calls "deeply religious." The overarching message was one of change, with Brown's family members urging mourners to vote, and the Rev. Al Sharpton saying, "We are required to leave here today and change things. Michael Brown must be remembered for more than disturbances." Michael Brown Sr., wearing a tie bearing his son's image, had yesterday pleaded with protesters for "a day of silence so I can, so we can, lay our son to rest." Other highlights: Among those gathered: Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King III, Spike Lee, Rep. Maxine Waters, Rep. William Lacy Clay; family members of Trayvon Martin and Sean Bell; three White House representatives. Gov. Jay Nixon declined to attend "out of respect for the family." Sharpton on protesters who turned to violence, as per CNN: "Can you imagine, they're heartbroken, their son taken, discarded, and marginalized, and they have to stop mourning to get you to control your anger, like you're more angry than they are, like you don't understand that Michael Brown does not want to be remembered for a riot." The Rev. Charles Ewing, Brown's uncle who eulogized him: "Michael Brown's blood is crying from the ground, crying for vengeance, crying for justice. There is a cry being made from the ground, not just for Michael Brown, but for the Trayvon Martins, for those children at Sandy Hook Elementary School, for the Columbine massacre, for the black-on-black crime."


Article:
Ben Carson, who is facing increasing scrutiny over his grasp of foreign policy, is traveling to Jordan on Friday to visit Syrian refugees, in order to gain an understanding of the pressing issue and to polish his candidacy.

 “I find when you have firsthand knowledge of things as opposed to secondhand, it makes a much stronger impression,” Mr. Carson said in an interview before his departure, planned for late Thanksgiving Day on a charter aircraft.

 In a surprise visit, he plans to go to the Azraq refugee camp in northern Jordan, where he will visit a clinic and a hospital. He is bringing soccer balls and Beanie Babies to distribute to children.

 Mr. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, was leading in some state and national polls before the Paris terror attacks, but his support has dropped with national security concerns looming larger in the Republican nominating race. In Iowa in particular, Donald J. Trump, who called for a registry of Muslims in America, has taken the lead in polls, and Senator Ted Cruz, who has harshly criticized President Obama over the rise of the Islamic State, has jumped into second place. ||||| Play Facebook

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 Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson will go to Jordan Friday to visit Syrian refugees, campaign officials said Thursday.

 The New York Times first reported that Carson plans to visit a refugee camp in northern Jordan. Campaign officials confirmed the trip on Thursday night.

 "I find when you have firsthand knowledge of things as opposed to secondhand, it makes a much stronger impression," Carson told the Times before his departure.

 Related: Carson Aides Admit Candidate Needs Work on Foreign Policy

 For months, Carson has been strongly opposed to the United States accepting Syrian refugees, asking Congress to defund any programs that promote refugees coming to America.

 He also was criticized for comparing security concerns with refugees to worries over "a rabid dog running around your neighborhood."

 "We have to have in place screening mechanisms that allow us to determine who the mad dogs are, quite frankly," Carson said.

 PHOTOS - On the Stump: Ben Carson's Presidential Campaign

 In recent weeks, the retired neurosurgeon has faced questions over his depth of foreign policy knowledge.

 At the last Republican presidential debate, Carson suggested that China was involved in Syria. He later tried to clarify that claim, and said only some Chinese military equipment is being used there.

 A recent Quinnipiac University poll showed that support for Ben Carson in Iowa dropped 10 points since October, when he stood in first place. Carson has since slipped behind Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, in the state the campaign sees as essential. |||||Summary:

– Ben Carson will try to prove he has a handle on foreign affairs during a surprise visit with Syrian refugees in Jordan on Friday. "I find when you have firsthand knowledge of things as opposed to secondhand, it makes a much stronger impression," Carson told the New York Times before setting off for the UN refugee camp in Azraq on Thursday. NBC News also confirmed the trip. "I want to hear some of their stories, I want to hear from some of the officials what their perspective is," he said. "All of that is extraordinarily useful in terms of formulating an opinion of how to actually solve the problem." He added he'll be handing out soccer balls and Beanie Babies as he visits a clinic, hospital, women's and girls' center, and an "adolescent-friendly space." He's expected to return to the US on Sunday. Since the Paris terror attacks, Carson's poll numbers have been dropping, especially in Iowa where he was once leading. One Quinnipiac University poll shows him down 10 points since October, perhaps due to concerns about his grasp on foreign policy. Asked if voters felt he wasn't the right person to lead when terrorism fears are high, Carson said, "I would agree with that assessment," but "that's why it's a good thing it's a marathon, not a sprint. As time goes on they will begin to listen more carefully to what I'm saying." Carson recently drew heat for explaining that he opposes accepting Syrian refugees into the US because the result could be "a rabid dog running around in your neighborhood." He also seemed baffled when asked to name the countries he would call to form an anti-Islamic State coalition.


Article:
ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Triple suicide bombers hit a pair of mosques crowded with worshippers in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, on Friday, killing 46 and injuring 100 others, according to medical officials. The attackers targeted mosques controlled by Shiite rebels.

 A report on the rebel-owned Al-Masirah TV channel said the bombers attacked the Badr and al-Hashoosh mosques during midday prayers on Friday, traditionally the most crowded time of the week. There was no immediate casualty report. It added that hospitals were urging citizens to donate blood.

 Witnesses said that at least two suicide bombers attacked inside the Badr mosque. One walked inside the mosque and detonated his device, causing panic as dozens of worshippers rushed toward the outside gates. A second suicide bomber then attacked amid the panicked crowds trying to escape.

 One witness at the al-Hashoosh mosque, located in Sanaa's northern district, said that he was thrown two meters away by the blast.

 "The heads, legs and arms of the dead people were scattered on the floor of the mosque," Mohammed al-Ansi told The Associated Press, adding, "blood is running like a river."

 Al-Ansi added that many of those who didn't die in the explosion were seriously injured by shattered glass falling from the mosque's windows. He recalled running for the door along with other survivors and hearing one man screaming, "come back, save the injured!"

 The Shiite TV network aired footage from inside al-Hashoosh mosque, where screaming volunteers were using bloodied blankets to carry away victims. One of the dead included a small child. Corpses were lined up on the mosque floor and carried away in pick-up trucks.

 The attacks come a day after intense gun battles in the southern city of Aden, between rival troops loyal to Yemen's former and current president, left 13 dead and forced closure of the city's international airport.

 The Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, swept down from their northern strongholds and seized the capital in September. Allied with ousted former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, they now control at least nine of Yemen's 21 provinces. Earlier this year they put Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, the western-backed president, under house arrest. Hadi has since fled to the southern city of Aden, where he established a temporary capital and maintains he is still the legitimate president.

 There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Yemen is home to a powerful al-Qaida branch, but there has also been a growing presence among supporters of the Islamic State group.

 Some IS supporters on social media claimed the group carried out the bombing. The claim could not be confirmed, but if true it would be group's first major attack in Yemen. ||||| Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) The Sunni terror group ISIS purportedly claimed it committed Friday's bombings that killed scores of people at two mosques frequented by Shiite rebels in Yemen's capital -- an attack that would mark ISIS's first large-scale attack in the Arabian Peninsula country.

 At least 137 people were killed and 357 wounded when suicide bombers, pretending to be disabled and hiding explosives under casts, attacked the mosques in Sanaa, according to Yemen's state-run Saba news agency.

 Video distributed by Reuters showed people removing bodies from one of the mosques, where a carpeted floor was littered with debris.

 Houthi fighters carry the body of a man killed in Sanaa on March 20.

 Houthi fighters carry the body of a man killed in Sanaa on March 20.

 People stand amid bodies covered with blankets in a mosque after a suicide attack in Sanaa on March 20.

 People stand amid bodies covered with blankets in a mosque after a suicide attack in Sanaa on March 20.

 A wounded man lies on a bed at a hospital after the bombings in Sanaa on March 20.

 A wounded man lies on a bed at a hospital after the bombings in Sanaa on March 20.

 Men carry the body of a man killed in the March 20 attacks.

 Men carry the body of a man killed in the March 20 attacks.

 The body of a person killed in the attacks is carried to a hospital in Sanaa on March 20.

 The body of a person killed in the attacks is carried to a hospital in Sanaa on March 20.

 Houthi fighters stand near a damaged car after bombings in Sanaa on March 20. The attacks started with suicide bombings inside the buildings, followed shortly by explosions outside, two senior Houthi leaders said.

 Houthi fighters stand near a damaged car after bombings in Sanaa on March 20. The attacks started with suicide bombings inside the buildings, followed shortly by explosions outside, two senior Houthi leaders said.

 A casualty is wheeled to a hospital after the bombing attacks in Sanaa on March 20.

 A casualty is wheeled to a hospital after the bombing attacks in Sanaa on March 20.

 Armed men inspect damage after an explosion at Al Badr mosque in Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday, March 20. Deadly explosions in Yemen's capital rocked two mosques serving a minority Muslim group that recently conquered the city. The mosques serve members of the Zaidi sect of Shiite Islam, which is followed by the Houthi rebels who recently took control of the capital.

 Armed men inspect damage after an explosion at Al Badr mosque in Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday, March 20. Deadly explosions in Yemen's capital rocked two mosques serving a minority Muslim group that recently conquered the city. The mosques serve members of the Zaidi sect of Shiite Islam, which is followed by the Houthi rebels who recently took control of the capital.

 If ISIS committed the attack, it would be not only a new challenge to the minority Houthis who took control of Sanaa weeks ago, but also a challenge to ISIS's rival, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Sunni extremists more associated with Yemen.

 It would also illustrate a seemingly expanding focus for ISIS, which controls parts of Syria and Iraq and earlier this week claimed responsibility for Wednesday's killings of tourists at a museum in Tunisia

 Regardless, Friday's attacks marked one of the worst days of recent violence during a complicated struggle for control of Yemen, where Houthi rebels -- Shiites in a predominantly Sunni country -- already faced resistance from AQAP and from supporters of ousted President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi.

 A written statement, purportedly from ISIS, claimed that ISIS executed Friday's attacks, calling them "a tip of an iceberg."

 The statement, posted on a site that previously carried ISIS proclamations, said five suicide bombers targeted Houthis in Sanaa.

 A separate audio message, also posted on ISIS-affiliated websites, claimed five ISIS suicide bombers killed dozens of "Houthi infidels." The voice is similar to one featured in Thursday's audio message in which ISIS claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack at the Bardo Museum in Tunisia

 CNN cannot independently verify the legitimacy of Friday's statements.

 Among those killed in Sanaa was prominent Houthi religious leader Murtatha Al Mahathwari, Saba reported.

 A separate explosion rocked a government compound in the Houthi stronghold city of Saada -- 180 kilometers (112 miles) northeast of Sanaa -- killing two people and seriously wounding a third, according to Abu Khalil Al Ameri, a local Houthi security official.

 If ISIS executed Friday's bombings, it would be a "big deal indeed," in part because ISIS was thought to have only a fledgling presence in Yemen, CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank said.

 "The dominant group there is al Qaeda in Yemen. ISIS and al Qaeda in Yemen can't stand each other," Cruickshank said. "But ... whoever is responsible, I think, (is) trying plunge the country into civil war."

 That's a complication for a number of parties, including the United States, which until the Houthis took Sanaa had counted on the Yemeni government for support in its long-running battle against AQAP.

 Blasts inside, outside mosques

 In Friday's assaults at Al Badr mosque and Al Hashoosh mosque in Sanaa, the first blasts happened inside the buildings, followed two minutes later by explosions outside, perhaps to target those fleeing the preliminary blasts, two senior Houthi leaders in Sanaa said.

 At Al Badr mosque, the outdoor explosion was another suicide bombing; at Al Hashoosh mosque, the exterior blast was a car bomb, the two leaders said.

 "We check people and watch at times, but it's a mosque, and we can't check everyone who enters," said Ali Al Emad, a Houthi security worker at Al Hashoosh mosque.

 The mosques serve members of the Zaidi sect of Shiite Islam, the sect to which the rebel Houthi militants belong.

 Among the wounded are 40 people who are in critical condition; they will be sent to Jordan for treatment, reported Saba, which is controlled by the Houthis.

 AQAP, which last year vowed to attack Houthi loyalists throughout Yemen, issued a statement saying it had nothing to do with Friday's bombings.

 Houthis have Sanaa, launched airstrike in Aden

 The mosque attacks came six months after the Houthis -- who have long felt marginalized by the majority Sunnis in Yemen and have battled the central government for more than a decade -- entered Sanaa. That sparked battles that left than 300 people dead before a ceasefire was agreed to that month.

 The Houthis gradually took control, seizing the presidential palace in January and forcing President Hadi to resign.

 Hadi initially was put under house arrest, but he escaped last month, fleeing to the southern port city of Aden and declaring himself still President.

 The Houthis took control of military forces stationed near Sanaa, including the air force, as they overtook the central government there in January.

 Though the Houthis hold sway in Yemen's north, they have less influence in the south. Clashes between Houthi-controlled forces and military units still loyal to Hadi stepped up this week in Aden, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) southeast of Sanaa.

 Thursday, a Yemeni jet commanded by the Houthis fired missiles at a palace where Hadi was taking refuge in Aden, injuring no one but marking an escalation in the fighting.

 The jet flew from Sanaa to the palace in Aden, where the jet conducted the strikes, a senior air force official said on condition of anonymity.

 Hadi was at the palace compound when the first missile struck the grounds, but he fled safely, a Hadi aide said, also on condition of anonymity.

 A second missile struck near the compound but, like the first, injured no one, two officials in Aden said.

 The airstrikes came on the same day that opposing Yemeni military forces -- those loyal to the Houthis, and those led by officers loyal to Hadi -- battled in Aden, leaving at least 13 people dead and 21 others injured, Aden Gov. AbdulAziz Hobtour said.

 Some of the forces loyal to the Houthis also are loyal to Hadi's predecessor, former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who resigned in 2012 after months of "Arab Spring" protests inspired in part by a 2011 revolution in Egypt. Hadi was Saleh's vice president before taking over.

 Houthi takeover stunned West

 The United States, which still considers Hadi to be Yemen's legitimate President, "strongly condemns" both Friday's mosque bombings and Thursday's airstrikes in Yemen and expressed its condolences to the victims' families and loved ones, according to a White House statement.

 "This unconscionable attack on Muslim worshipers during Friday prayers only further highlights the depth of the terrorists' depravity and the threat they pose to the people of Yemen, the region, and the world," read the statement. "Today's attacks underscore that terrorism affects all Yemenis and that Yemen and its people must remain unified to confront these challenges."

 An earlier statement from U.S. State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke specifically called on "the Houthis, former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and their allies to stop their violent incitement and undermining of President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi ... the way forward for Yemen must be through a political solution."

 Officials in Saudi Arabia urged all Yemeni political groups to take part in talks in Riyadh, the state-run Saudi Press Agency said.

 King Salman ordered medical aid be sent to the victims in Sanaa and Aden, SPA reported, and said his country was ready to receive anyone critically wounded in the attacks.

 The Houthi takeover of Sanaa stunned governments of Western nations, including the United States, which had a long relationship with Yemen's leader and worked with the regime to target AQAP militants.

 U.S. officials frequently say AQAP is one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world, based on its attempts to attack U.S. interests, including an attempt to blow up an American jetliner over Detroit in December 2009.

 The United States, along with most European and Persian Gulf countries, suspended operations in their embassies this year after the Houthis took Sanaa.

 But the United States' anti-AQAP drone program in Yemen continued, with a U.S. drone strike killing senior AQAP cleric Harith bin Ghazi al-Nadhari and three other people in Shabwa province on January 31. ||||| SANAA (Reuters) - At least 24 people were killed when suicide bombers blew themselves up in two mosques in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Friday during noon prayers, security and medical sources told Reuters.

 The mosques are known to be used mainly by supporters of the Shi'ite Muslim Houthi group which has seized control of the government.

 Yemen is torn by a power struggle between the Iranian-backed Houthis in the north and the U.N.-recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who has set up a rival seat in the south with Gulf Arab support.

 (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Rania El Gamal; Editing by Hugh Lawson) |||||Summary:

– Triple suicide bombers hit a pair of mosques crowded with worshippers in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, today, causing heavy casualties, according to witnesses. The attackers targeted mosques frequented by Shiite rebels, who've controlled the capital since September. A report on the rebel-owned al-Masirah TV channel said the bombers attacked the Badr and al-Hashoosh mosques during midday prayers, traditionally the most crowded time of the week. Casualty numbers differ, with Reuters reporting at least 16 have been killed; CNN says 25, AP says 46, and AFP claims at least 55 have died, according to medics. The attacks come a day after intense gun battles in the southern city of Aden, between rival troops loyal to Yemen's former and current president, left 13 dead and forced closure of the city's international airport. Witnesses said that at least two suicide bombers attacked inside the Badr mosque. One walked inside the mosque and detonated his device, causing panic as dozens of worshippers rushed toward the outside gates. A second suicide bomber then attacked amid panicked crowds trying to escape. One witness at the al-Hashoosh mosque, located in Sanaa's northern district, said that he was thrown 6 feet by the blast. "The heads, legs, and arms of the dead people were scattered on the floor of the mosque," Mohammed al-Ansi told the AP, adding, "Blood is running like a river." Al-Ansi added that many of those who didn't die in the explosion were seriously injured by shattered glass falling from the mosque's windows. The Shiite TV network aired footage from inside al-Hashoosh mosque, where screaming volunteers used bloodied blankets to carry victims. Among the dead: a small child.