( CNN ) -- Security forces have arrested 11 al Qaeda suspects in the Yemeni capital , the nation 's official news agency reported Thursday . One man was killed in the operation , according to a security source cited by SABA . Yemeni authorities have threatened punishment for people who harbor suspected terrorists . The warnings are part of a crackdown on alleged al Qaeda hideouts since the attempted bombing of an American airliner in December , according to SABA . The suspect in the failed attack , Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab , spent time in Yemen and is said to have acquired the explosive device from someone in that country . Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ( AQAP ) has claimed responsibility for the plot . The Obama administration has recognized the risks posed by Yemen becoming a failed state and voiced support in its struggles against terrorism . Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also has pressed Yemen to implement key reforms and shore up its faltering economy . `` Yemen 's challenges are not going to be solved by military action alone , '' she said at a recent meeting of Western powers and Arab nations . `` Progress against violent extremists and progress toward a better future for the Yemeni people ... will also depend on fortifying development efforts . ''
Yemen has threatened punishment for those who harbor ##ed suspects . The warnings are part of a focus on alleged al Qaeda hideouts . Obama administration has recognized risks posed by Yemen becoming a failed state .