SANAA, YEMEN (written by Iona Craig & Sara Lynch/USA Today)
American unrest escalated in the Mideast on Thursday as demonstrators burned U.S. flags in Yemen and protesters descended on the embassy in Cairo for a third straight day.
Security was increased at American embassies and consulates around the world.
In Yemen's capital of Sanaa Thursday morning black smoke billowed into the sky from burning SUVs inside the U.S. Embassy compound. Hundreds of angry demonstrators tried to storm the building chanting "death to America" and death for the American filmmaker who made an anti-Islam film that sparked a deadly attack on the embassy in Libya and protests in Egypt.
Protesters marched on the embassy from three sides before being blocked by Yemeni security forces. Some demonstrators were able to breach the security cordon before eventually being pushed back by troops firing tear-gas and live ammunition into the air.
"They brought this on themselves," Abdullah Rahman Safi shouted above the sound of gunfire. "We want to close the American embassy for this insult on Prophet Mohammed," he added, referring to the film "Innocence of Muslims" posted on YouTube depicting the Muslim prophet Mohammed as a fraud and a womanizer.