SAN'A, Yemen, July 2, 2007

Al Qaeda Suicide Bomber Kills 9 In Yemen

7 Spaniards And 2 Yemenis Killed At Popular Temple Site

  • Security forces and others attend the scene after a suspected al Qaeda-linked suicide bomber killed nine people including several Spanish tourists when he drove his car into the site of the ancient Queen of Sheba temple in the central province of Marib, about 84 miles east of the capital San'a, in Yemen, Monday, July 2, 2007, police officials said.

    Security forces and others attend the scene after a suspected al Qaeda-linked suicide bomber killed nine people including several Spanish tourists when he drove his car into the site of the ancient Queen of Sheba temple in the central province of Marib, about 84 miles east of the capital San'a, in Yemen, Monday, July 2, 2007, police officials said.  (AP Photo/Marib Press)

  • Fast Facts Yemen

    Learn about the people, economy and history.

  • Special Report War On Terror

    Complete coverage of the military's battle against terrorism.

(CBS/AP)  An al Qaeda suicide bomber drove into a convoy of Spanish tourists visiting an ancient Yemeni temple, officials said, killing seven Spaniards and two Yemenis less than two weeks after a U.S. terror warning about the area.

Witnesses said the bomber drove a car through the gate of the temple compound, and the vehicle exploded near the structure, which was built about 3,000 years ago and dedicated to the Queen of Sheba.

Spain's foreign minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos, said seven dead and five wounded — one seriously — were Spaniards when the bomber drove into the middle of the Spanish convoy.

A four-wheel drive pick-up car entered the site as a procession of four cars was getting ready to get out from the site with police escorts, Deputy Minister of Interior, General Brigade Mohammed al-Qusi told the Yemen Observer.

Witnesses who arrived after the scene said the only saw bits of cars and bodies strewn on the ground, he said.

"We could not recognizes what kind of cars they were, we just saw small parts of them here and there, and dead bodies were burning," he said. "It was very horrible sight."

No one claimed responsibility for the attack in the central Marib province, about 85 miles east of the capital San'a, but authorities linked the suicide bomber to al Qaeda. Police said they received information last month about a possible al Qaeda attack.

Less than two weeks ago, the U.S. Embassy warned Americans to avoid the area. On June 23 in the neighboring Shabwa province, a Yemeni guard opened fire on a group of foreign oil workers shortly after they landed at a company airstrip, killing one and wounding five — including an American.

The provincial governor said at the time that the guard was mentally ill, but the U.S. Embassy in San'a canceled travel to the two provinces "for the near future" and recommended that Americans avoid the area.

Spain has also issued warnings about the area.

Al Qaeda has an active presence in Yemen, the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden, despite government efforts to fight the terror network. Al Qaeda was blamed for the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Aden that killed 17 American sailors and the attack on a French oil tanker that killed one person two years later.

Yemen was a haven for Islamists from across the Arab world during the 1990s, but after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, it declared support for the U.S. campaign against international terrorism. Its crackdown on militants has suffered a number of setbacks, however, such as the February 2006 prison breakout of 23 convicts — some of whom had been jailed for al Qaeda-linked crimes.

Foreign interests in Yemen often face low-level threats and tourists are frequently kidnapped by tribes seeking to win concessions from the government, either better services or the release of jailed relatives. Most of the hostages have been released unharmed.


© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Share:
  • Share
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Mixx
Add a Comment See all 37 Comments
by robertkjjj July 3, 2007 5:38 AM EDT
Thank you Mr Muslim, for more mindless slaughter. Just what we needed from the "religion of Peace".
Reply to this comment
by grazinggoat July 3, 2007 1:53 AM EDT
CBS: 'No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but police in Mareb said they had received information last month about a possible al Qaeda attack'.

-Another boogieman AQ...? Does this terrorist organization still exist?
Reply to this comment
by honest_news July 3, 2007 1:22 AM EDT
A bitter lesson for Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and all other current and former universities of Islamic Terrorism and Bestial Hatred who have had their alumni return with suicide bombs strapped to their chests:

As ye sow...
Reply to this comment
by July 3, 2007 12:57 AM EDT
Lord make good come out of this!!
Reply to this comment
by afmca July 2, 2007 11:00 PM EDT
Another fine example of the courage and integrity of the Islamic terrorist movement. I bet Allah would be proud of his supposed foot soldiers. I see this and I am reminded of just how perverse these heretics of Islam really are. They should be eliminated like the cockroaches they are.
Reply to this comment
by feelfree1 July 2, 2007 10:16 PM EDT

***I*** ***hope*** ***the*** ***web*** ***administrators*** ***at*** ***CBS*** ***are*** ***able*** ***to*** ***restore*** ***the*** ***functionality*** ***of*** ***their*** ***site*** ***soon***.

***There*** ***is*** ***another*** ***current*** ***hype*** ***piece*** ***presented*** ***by*** ***Ms***. ***Lara*** ***Logan***, ***entitled*** &***quot***;***U***.***S***. ***General*** ***Points*** ***Finger*** ***At*** ***Iran***&***quot***;, ***that*** ***is*** ***in*** ***need*** ***of*** ***some*** ***reader*** ***commentary***, ***but*** ***the*** ***general*** ***clunkiness*** ***that*** ***we*** ***are*** ***experiencing*** ***in*** ***this*** ***site***, ***appears*** ***to*** ***have*** ***left*** ***the*** ***comment*** ***section*** ***for*** ***that*** ***article***, ***unusable***.

***I*** ***look*** ***forward*** ***to*** ***the*** ***CBS*** ***technicians*** ***resolving*** ***these*** ***problems***.
Reply to this comment
by radiob-2009 July 2, 2007 10:01 PM EDT
No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but security officials said they had received information last month about a possible Al Qaeda attack. The officials said Al Qaeda had demanded the release of some of its members jailed in the Arab state and that Sana reconsider its cooperation with Washington.

"Preliminary information indicates that the al-Qaeda organisation is behind the cowardly attack," an interior ministry official told the Sabam news agency.






"This criminal attack has killed seven Spanish tourists and two Yemeni nationals who worked as drivers and tourist guides, and wounded six Spanish tourists and two [Yemeni] nationals."


From AL Jazzera
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/EA1EE031-5332-43BE-BE0C-15B9483348E4.htm
Reply to this comment
by feelfree1 July 2, 2007 9:28 PM EDT

Re: "We could not recognizes what kind of cars they were, we just saw small parts of them here and there, and dead bodies were burning,"

Wow! And yet they were able to 'link' the driver to 'al Qaeda'. This is an astounding bit of police work...almost hard to believe, but CBS has indicated that it is to be 'believed', so who am I to question their findings?
Reply to this comment
by radiob-2009 July 2, 2007 9:16 PM EDT
CBS must be monitoring the daylights out of these boards or they have a server problem virtually every story is closed down for comments including the one on Libby all in the space of seconds.To many hate filled posts.
Reply to this comment
by radiob-2009 July 2, 2007 9:11 PM EDT
They're all scum*bags - top to bottom. But especially the one at the top.
Posted by hungry1968


And look at the candiates running for president,trade in one Yugo for a Escort.
Reply to this comment
See all 37 Comments

Exclusive Webshow

Grammy winner Shakira on her music career, philanthropy and being sexy. Watch Now

Latest News
News in Pictures
Scroll Left Scroll Right
Connect with CBS News

Stay connected with the CBS News using your favorite social networks and online news applications: