Gunmen kill leading figure in Yemeni Shi'ite Muslim group

A leader of the Yemeni Shi'ite Muslim Houthi group is dead after unknown assailants shot and killed him in Sanaa on Tuesday. He was on his way to attend reconciliation talks in the Yemeni capital, officials at the talks said.

Ahmad Sharafeddin was a former dean of the school of law at Sanaa University and was open fired upon causing him to die immediately.

While it was not clear who was behind the assassination, another Houthi leader, Abdulkarim al-Khiwani, accused Sunni militants of bringing on the attack.

Clashes have continued in other parts of northern Yemen despite a ceasefire which began in October in order to relocate the Salafis to another city some 250 km (155 miles) away.

While reconciliation efforts have been in play, the sectarian rivalry has slowed the progress efforts in Yemen. Yemen is a neighbor of Saudi Arabia and home to one of al Qaeda's most active wings.