SANAA, Yemen (AP) — A senior Yemeni intelligence officer was shot dead in the capital, Sanaa, when a speeding gunman on a motorcycle opened fire Tuesday, the latest episode in an assassination campaign aimed at security officials as government forces wage a crackdown on al-Qaida suspects.

Al-Qaida in Yemen has carried out a string of assassinations of top security and military officials and deadly suicide bombings in recent months, raising concerns that al-Qaida militants are bouncing back and getting bolder after suffering defeats this year in a U.S.-Yemeni military offensive.