by Jim Lobe

WASHINGTON - The attempted Christmas Day bombing of a U.S. airliner by a Nigerian allegedly associated with al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has propelled long-neglected Yemen into the media spotlight here.

The attempt, which was foiled by alert passengers who subdued the alleged bomber, 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, as he tried to set off explosives, could result in increased U.S. military and economic aid for the beleaguered regime headed President Ali Abdullah Saleh, as some influential think tanks here have urged.

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