( CNN ) -- A man described as `` one of al Qaeda 's most dangerous members '' was arrested in Yemen , the Yemeni military , an embassy official and state-run news agency Saba said . Mohammed Abdu Saleh al-Haudali , 35 , is `` one of the most dangerous terrorists wanted by the security forces , '' according to a Yemeni military Web site , citing a security source . Al-Haudali was arrested Wednesday in the village of Deer Jaber in the Bajel district , northeast of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa , said Mohammed Albasha , spokesman for the Yemen Embassy in Washington . Al-Haudali exchanged fire with security forces before his arrest , Saba reported , citing Hodeidah province security officer Abdul-Wahab al-Radhi . However , the Yemeni military site quoted the security source as saying al-Haudali was caught when he attempted to open fire on authorities . In addition , Albasha told CNN , Mohammed Ali Al-Henk , `` a wanted al Qaeda operative , '' was captured in the Arhab district north of Sanaa . Yemeni air forces have raided al Qaeda hideouts in Sanaa along with Abyan and Shabwa governorates , killing dozens of al Qaeda suspects , Saba reported . It did not say when the raids took place . Following the raids , the Interior Ministry told its offices to raise security alerts and tighten defense procedures nationwide in anticipation of operations , Saba said . The arrests come after a Nigerian man allegedly attempted to detonate an explosive device on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit , Michigan , December 25 . Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the attack . Suspect Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab spent time in Yemen , sources have said . His father , Umaru AbdulMutallab , contacted the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria several weeks ago to report his son had `` become radicalized , '' and had gone to Yemen to participate in `` some kind of jihad , '' a family source said . A federal security bulletin obtained by CNN says the explosives used in the incident were obtained in Yemen . A U.S. government official said that between August and October , extremists in Yemen were discussing operations and mentioned a person called `` the Nigerian . '' The source said that U.S. intelligence officials also had a partial name for the person : Umar Farouk .
year - old described as ` ` one of the most dangerous men '' in Yemen . Al - Haudali arrested in front of Deer Jaber in the Bajel district northeast of Sanaa . Al - Hassan reportedly exchanged gunfire with security forces before his arrest .