US military: Yemen-based al Qaeda 'serious' US threat

Al Qaeda's Yemen-based branch is a "serious" threat to the United States and has become substantially more dangerous over the past two years, the top US military officer said on Sunday.

"This branch of al Qaeda is very lethal and I believe them, in terms of what they say they're trying to do (to attack the US)," Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told CNN television's State of the Union program. (Reuters)