SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Security officials in Yemen say three alleged al-Qaida operatives have accidentally blown themselves up while outfitting a car with explosives in preparation for an operation in the southern Yemeni province of Shabwa.

Tribesmen from the area and security officials identified the three, one Saudi and two Yemenis, as al-Qaida members. The group is known to be active in the province’s Habban region, where the explosion took place Sunday.