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(Redirected from 2007 attack on tourists in Yemen) Suicide car bombing and casualties in Marib
2007 Marib suicide car bombing
Part of the al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
Site of the temple
Queen of Sheba temple is located in YemenQueen of Sheba templeQueen of Sheba temple
LocationQueen of Sheba Temple, Marib Governorate, Yemen
Coordinates15°24′20″N 45°21′19″E / 15.4055°N 45.3553°E / 15.4055; 45.3553
Date2 July 2007 (2007-07-02)
5:30 p.m. AST (UTC+3)
TargetSpanish tourists
Attack typeSuicide car bombing
Deaths11 (including the perpetrator)
Injured12
Perpetrator Al-Qaeda in Yemen
AssailantAbdu Mohammed Saad Ahmed Reheqah
al-Qaeda insurgency
in Yemen

On 2 July 2007, a car bomber drove into a convoy of Spanish tourists visiting the Queen of Sheba temple near Marib in Marib Governorate, Yemen. The suicide bombing killed eight tourists along with two of their Yemeni drivers. Al-Qaeda in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack.

Background

Terrorism in Yemen experienced a resurgence after a Sanaa prison break in February 2006 freed many prominent members of al-Qaeda. In September 2006, AQY vowed to carry out more attacks against Western interests after a double suicide car bombing on two oil facilities failed. Yemeni authorities said they received information four days before to the bombing warning of a potential AQY attack against local oil facilities, government institutions and foreign embassies, but not against tourist sites. An AQY message in an e-magazine posted on an Islamist website on 12 January demanded the release of some of its members imprisoned in Yemen and threatened to take unspecified actions if not.

Attack

Planning

Planning and organizing of the attack was undertaken by an 11-man cell headed by Hamza al-Qaiti, Qasim al-Raymi and Nasir al-Wuhayshi, the latter being named the leader of AQY the previous month. Seven of the cell members contributed to planning and supervising the attack, while two others provided protection and shelter for the group while in Marib. The attack targeted Spaniards specifically as al-Raymi "knew exactly what the tourists’ movements would be" according to a former AQY member. The driver of the car bomb, 21-year-old Sanaa resident Abdu Mohammed Saad Ahmed Reheqah, was recruited by AQY member and taxi driver Hamza Saleh al-Dayan, who provided the bomber with driving lessons and introduced him to other members of the cell.

Bombing

At around midmorning on 2 July, a four-vehicle convoy consisting of thirteen Spanish tourists in two cars accompanied by Yemeni security vehicles at the front and back was making its way from Sanaa to Marib to view the Queen of Sheba temple. At about 5:30 p.m. AST (UTC+3), while the tourists were preparing to leave after finishing their tour, a car loaded with explosives rammed itself into the vehicles used by the tourists while the convoy was on the road next to the temple. The car, which was parked and only moved when the tourists approached, drove through the gate of the temple compound and exploded about 50 metres away from the temple itself, the blast scattering vehicle and body parts around the road and being heard from miles away according to locals. Survivor Maria Begona Larrabeiti described the first car in the convoy as engulfed in flames, while the second car "looked pretty bad" and within the third "everyone was shouting."

Victims

The attack killed eight Spanish tourists as well as two Yemeni drivers, along with injuring 12 others. The remains of the seven tourists were repatriated to Spain on 4 July.

Investigation

The Yemeni government announced a $75,500 reward for information which could lead to the capture of the perpetrators. On 4 July, Yemeni forces killed Ahmed Bassiouni Dewidar, an Egyptian national who reportedly masterminded the attack, in a gun battle in Sanaa which wounded five security officers. Dewidar's role in the attack would later be reevaluated by investigators as providing material support to other members of the cell. By 5 July, Yemeni authorities backed by Spanish investigators had arrested 20 Islamic fundamentalists, including three alleged AQY members, who may have provided assistance in the attack, though none of them were among the cell members who planned the attack. The Yemeni government announced the identities of the militants in the 11-man cell responsible for the attack on 6 August as a part of their investigation. On 8 August, Yemeni security forces killed four militants connected to the bombing in a raid near Marib. Initial reports stated that Qasim al-Raymi was among those killed in the clashes, though this would later be disproven. On 13 August, Yemeni authorities arrested nine people in connection to the bombing, including three Yemenis who had recently returned from Iraq. Hamza Saleh al-Dayan, the trainer of the suicide bomber, turned himself in to authorities on 7 June 2010.

On 3 July, Spanish high court judge Fernando Andreu said that Spanish legal authorities were launching a preliminary investigation into the attack. The investigation was shelved by 2011 due to Yemeni officials refusing to cooperate.

Aftermath

Reactions

The Yemeni government increased security around government buildings and foreign interests in the immediate aftermath of bombing. President Ali Abdullah Saleh vowed to "track down the elements involved in this criminal and irresponsible act." Yemeni Interior Minister Rashad al-Alimi said that the Yemeni government would welcome the participation of Spanish investigators.

Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos condemned the bombing and expressed condolences to the victims of the attack and their families. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated that "no cause can justify such acts of indiscriminate violence against civilians." Amnesty International called for the perpetrators of the attack to be held responsible "in accordance with international standards." Statements condemning the attack were issued by the United States, France, Austria, Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Al-Jazeera investigation

As a part of an investigative series produced by Al-Jazeera in June 2015, Hani Muhammad Mujahid, a former AQY informant for the Yemeni government, provided an account for the bombing. Mujahid said that he informed the National Security Bureau of the attack a week before it took place, but had later arrived at the scene on the day of the bombing and found the preparations ready. He stated that he had snuck away from the scene to inform two security officials of the imminent threat, but the bombing had gone through unhindered a few hours later. He also questioned AQY's ability to know the location of the tourists, claiming that "no person from Al-Qaeda could have acquired this type of information."

Esteve Masó, a victim in the bombing, requested Spain's high court to reopen its investigation into the attack based of off the information given by Mujahid, calling it an "authentic bombshell that needs to be investigated.” On 8 June, chief prosecutor Javier Zaragoza requested that Spanish police investigate the information given by Mujahid.

See also

References

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