Wednesday's suicide bombing attack targeting the U.S. Embassy in Yemen killed 16 people, including an American woman from Lackawanna, N.Y.

Jeff Stein in CQ Politics spoke with a number of veteran intelligence agents and analysts who say the attack shows Al Qaeda's ability to wage spectacular attacks hasn't been eliminated, even if the organization itself is considered weaker.

One retired agent told Stein the attack could have been far worse, and perhaps was designed to take over the embassy and hold its employees hostage in a repeat of the 1979 crisis in Iran. Reports indicate six attackers were killed, and while a group calling itself Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility, officials say the the use of multiple vehicles and attackers are "all the hallmarks" of an Al Qaeda attack.