Washington ( CNN ) -- Authorities in Yemen questioned people at a mosque and a school in the capital of Sanaa because the facilities were attended by attempted bombing suspect Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab , the spokesman for Yemen 's Embassy to the United States said Tuesday . Mohammed al-Basha told CNN 's `` The Situation Room '' that conversations with AbdulMutallab 's former acquaintances have not yet turned up links to the local al Qaeda group , which has claimed responsibility for AbdulMutallab 's attempt to bring down a Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day . `` According to the questionings carried on today by his classmates and administrative officials of the school , [ Umar ] was a friendly person and did not ring any alarm bells , '' he said . `` We knew he attended school in Yemen , and one of the mosques he was visiting in Sanaa we 've been surveilling and questioning some of the people there to see whether he has links or not , '' he said . Al-Basha also said a claim by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula that the attempt was in retaliation for airstrikes against them was `` most likely '' propaganda , but left open the possibility links could be found later . `` I think the al Qaeda statement that came out recently saying that this is an attack in retaliation for what happened the 17th and 24th of December is unfounded , because we know that he bought the ticket a few days before that , so there 's no link for the time being , '' al-Basha said . See key dates in the failed bombing attempt . AbdulMutallab bought his ticket to travel from Lagos , Nigeria , to Detroit , Michigan , via Amsterdam the day before the first attack , according to Nigerian officials . Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula issued an Internet statement claiming responsibility for AbdulMuttalab 's failed attempt to bring down Northwest Airlines Flight 253 , calling it retaliation for what it said were U.S. airstrikes on Yemeni soil . Al-Basha said airstrikes against AQAP on December 17 and December 24 were launched entirely by the Yemeni government , but acknowledged that the United States has provided the country with some assistance since the September 11 , 2001 , terror attacks . `` The United States has been supporting Yemen since 9/11 , training our forces , '' he said . `` We have a strong intelligence cooperation , but again the last operations and all the operations this year were carried out by Yemeni forces . '' U.S. officials privately acknowledge they have provided secret intelligence on several al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula targets to Yemen 's government , but wo n't say whether U.S. aircraft or drones took part in the strikes . Al Basha rejected suggestions that Yemen has not been strong enough in its fight against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula , but noted the nation has `` a serious problem . '' `` We 've been addressing this problem way before it became a global issue , '' he said . `` Since 1992 , we 've been fighting . I call it the long war . Al Qaeda , we 've been conducting strikes against them since that day . ''
Talks with acquaintances have not yet revealed links to local al Qaeda group . Local Al-Basha group says attempted bombing was in retaliation for airstrikes . Sanaa spokesman says claim unlikely because suspect bought ticket before airstrikes . al Qaeda says Yemen launched strikes but acknowledged Yemen involvement in U.S. .