US official: Marine team sent to Yemen

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Associated Press

Story Created: Fri Sep 14, 2012 11:26 AM

Story Updated: Fri Sep 14, 2012 11:26 AM

WASHINGTON (AP) - A U.S. official says an elite Marine rapid response team has arrived in Yemen in the wake of violence and protests in the capital of Sanaa.
   
The deployment comes as Yemeni security forces were firing live rounds and tear gas into the crowd of about 2,000 protesters trying to march to the U.S. embassy. On Thursday hundreds of protesters stormed the embassy compound and burned the American flag.
   
The Marine unit, known as a Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team, was sent in response to Thursday's violence and as a precautionary measure, as waves of attacks roiled the Muslim world over an anti-Islam video.
   
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the deployment was not made public.
   
A similar team was dispatched to Libya Wednesday in response to violence there.

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