In brief: Airstrike targets al-Qaida militants

SANAA, Yemen – Yemeni officials and local tribesmen say an airstrike has targeted al-Qaida militants in a house in Saada province, killing three people.

The officials and tribesmen said the Sunday airstrike was carried out by a U.S. drone. The U.S. considers al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, based in Yemen, to be the world’s most active and has often used drones to target its members. Saudis are leading al-Qaida members.

The officials said those killed were in the courtyard of a house owned by a wanted al-Qaida militant. The governor of Saada, Fares Manaa, told a Defense Ministry website that two of the dead are believed to be Saudis.

French police arrest key ETA member

MADRID – A member of the Basque separatist group ETA responsible for its arms and explosives caches was arrested in eastern France early Sunday, officials said.

Izaskun Lesaka, 37, and another suspected ETA member, 35-year-old Joseba Iturbide Ochoteco, were arrested by elite French police in a hotel in Macon, France, Spain’s Interior Ministry said.

The suspects were tracked down and arrested by a special tactical unit of the French National Police in close collaboration with Spanish counterparts, the ministry said.

It said Lesaka was considered one of ETA’s top three leaders and that police also seized “abundant computer equipment and a stolen car with false number plates.”