American photojournalist is killed in failed special forces rescue attempt against al-Qaeda captors who were holding him in Yemen

Lucy Somers said she learned of her 33-year-old brother Luke Somers' death from FBI agents. There was no immediate comment from Washington, nor from security officials in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. 'We ask that all of Luke's family members be allowed to mourn in peace,' Lucy Somers said today. Yemen's local al-Qaida branch, Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, posted a video on Thursday threatening to kill Somers in three days if the United States did not meet the group's demands, which were not specified. Nasser bin Ali al Ansi (top right), a senior official in the group, spoke for two minutes and thirty seconds during the video. Mr Somers (pictured left and centre), a British-born U.S photojournalist, was kidnapped in Sanaa (bottom right) in September 2013.