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2009 Yemeni tourist attacks

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March 2009 Yemen bombings
Part of the al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
Shibam (shbm) (2286391487).jpg
Old Walled City of Shibam
Location 15°55′37″N48°37′36″E / 15.92694°N 48.62667°E / 15.92694; 48.62667 (Shibam)
15°20′54″N44°12′23″E / 15.34833°N 44.20639°E / 15.34833; 44.20639 (Sanaa)
Shibam and Sanaa, Yemen
Date15–18 March 2009 (2009-03-15 – 2009-03-18)
Target South Koreans
Attack type
 Suicide bombings
Deaths7 (including 2 perpetrators)
Injured3
PerpetratorIslamic State flag.svg Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

Two suicide bombings took place in March 2009, targeting South Korea nationals in Yemen. The first, which occurred on 15 March, targeted a group of South Korean tourists visiting the city of Shibam in Hadhramaut Governorate. The bomber detonated an explosive belt while posing for a picture with the tourists, killing four of them along with their Yemeni tour guide and injuring three others. On 18 March, another suicide bomber attempted to attack a convoy of South Korean investigators and relatives of the victims in Sanaa. However, the bombing failed and resulted in no casualties other than the perpetrator. Both attacks were claimed by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Background

The bombings followed numerous other attacks throughout the previous years against tourists and foreign interests in Yemen, primarily those belonging to the United States or European nations, perpetrated by the local al-Qaeda affiliate. It also followed the merger of the Yemeni and Saudi branches of al-Qaeda and the formation of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in January 2009. [1] In the video announcing its formation, AQAP leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi threatened attacks on Western nationals in the region. Field commander Mohammed al-Awfi was captured and extradited to Saudi Arabia the next month in what was considered a blow to the organization at the time. [2] : 3 

Bombings

15 March, Shibam

In early March 2009, an AQAP suicide bomber was ordered to conduct an attack in Shibam, a town in Hadhramaut and UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site renowned for its ancient mudbrick architecture, which made it one of the largest tourist attractions in Yemen. [3] : 241  The bomber was directed to wait atop a popular hill overlooking the town from which tourists commonly took photos, but was given no specific objective asides from attaining high casualties. [3] : 241  Rather than a suicide vest, he was given "a rectangular, ten-centimetre-deep metal box" storing an explosive, with a picture frame and painting depicting a waterfall bolted over it for concealment. [4] [3] : 241–242 

On 15 March, the bomber waited atop the hill observing any visitors, eventually encountering a group of South Korean tourists. [3] : 242  The tourists were visiting Yemen in a group of 18, five of whom did not go to Shibam with the others. According to Themesay Tour, the company which organized the tour, they had left South Korea for Yemen on 9 March and were expected to depart the day the bombing took place. Shibam was among the destinations due to the "scenic landscape and its relative safety." [5] The tourists had gone up the hill, known as Khazzan, in order to take photographs of the old walled city at sunset. [6]

The bomber approached the tourists as they were taking photographs and detonated his explosives. [3] : 242  Official South Korean sources claim the explosion occurred at around 5:50 p.m. local time. [7] Tour organizer Ma Kyong-Chan said the blast happened as most of the tourists had departed from their vehicles and were admiring the scene. [6] Citing official sources, NewsYemen claimed the bomber had asked for a picture with the tourists and posed with them shortly before blowing himself up. He reportedly chewed khat before the bombing, which has effects similar to amphetamines, and tried to move children away from the vicinity. [8]

The bombing killed four South Korean tourists and one Yemeni tour guide who had gone up to greet the bomber. [3] : 242  The tourists were identified as

and injured an additional four South Koreans. [9] The killed tourists were identified as 70-year-old Park Bong-gan, 64-year-old Kim In-hye, 59-year-old Joo Yong-cheol, and 55-year-old Shin Hye-yoon, all residents of Seoul. The latter two were a married couple. [10] Initial reports listed four tourists as being wounded but later revised the number to three. [11] They were identified as 54-year-old Hong Sun-hee and 40-year-old Park Jeong-seon of Seoul, and Amman, Jordan, resident Sohn Jong-hee. [7] The bodies of those killed were received by their families at Incheon International Airport in Seoul on 19 March. [12]

18 March, Sanaa

On 18 March, a suicide bomber attacked a three-vehicle South Korean convoy heading to the International Airport in Sanaa. The convoy was composed of a team sent by the South Korean government to investigate the bombing, which included two foreign ministry officials and representatives of the national police and intelligence service, as well as relatives of the killed tourists. [13] The bomber, a 20-year-old student according to his identity card recovered at the scene, [14] was waiting by the gates of the al-Dailami Air Base, which shares a runway with the airport. [15] When the convoy arrived at the road to the airport, [16] at 8:40 a.m. AST the bomber walked into the road between two of the vehicles and blew himself up. [17] [18] However, the bomber detonated his explosive belt seconds after the convoy had passed resulting in zero harm against the passengers, although the front window of one of the vehicles was shattered. [13] [19]

Investigation

The Yemeni government immediately launched an inquiry after the first bombing. [20] In South Korea, an emergency government meeting headed by Vice Foreign Minister Shin Kak-soo was held to discuss the bombing. [7] A team of four officials; two from the foreign ministry along with representatives from the National Police Agency and National Intelligence Service, was sent to Yemen. [21] They arrived on 16 March and were involved in a basic investigation, including an inspection of the crime scene and interviews with Yemeni officials. [22]

Some Yemeni officials initially cast doubt on the incident being a suicide bombing, suggesting it could have been caused by a pre-planted bomb or dynamite remnants. [20] [23] A security official eventually confirmed the attack was a suicide bombing perpetrated by AQAP on 16 March. [23] Local authorities had arrested 12 members of jihadist groups who could have information on the perpetrators. [24] The South Korean foreign ministry announced on 17 March that a Yemeni-led preliminary investigation, with involvement from South Korean authorities, determined the incident was a deliberate suicide bombing, but did not establish if the Koreans were specifically targeted. [24]

Conflicting reports on the identity of the 15 March bombing's perpetrator had also emerged. [25] The official Saba News Agency initially reported he had been "tricked by al-Qaeda into wearing an explosives vest". His remains and other shrapnel were found one kilometer from the site. Investigators recovered an identity card which indicated the bomber was Ali Mohsen al-Ahmad, born in 1990 in Sanaa. [8] However, on 17 March a Yemeni official identified him instead as Abdel Rahman Mehdi al-Aajbari, an 18-year-old from Taiz who left his family home two months before the attack and had allegedly trained in Somalia for it. [26] [2] : 1  Propaganda released by AQAP confirmed the latter was the correct identity of the bomber. [4]

After the second bombing, the South Korean government considered withdrawing the four-man official team, but decided to have them remain in Yemen to investigate the repeated attacks. [27] A senior South Korean foreign ministry official said "It's too early to conclude the incidents as terrorist attacks against South Koreans, but the possibility remains high". Ministry spokesperson Moon Tae-young said "all possibilities" were being investigated in regards to the attacks. [28] The team returned to South Korea on 22 March, and were set to present their results to the foreign minister the following day. [22] On 24 March, a South Korean official announced the receival of interim investigation results from Yemeni authorities, which were not able to identify the perpetrators or whether South Koreans were deliberately targeted. The official said they were expecting "the possibility that the investigation will be considerably prolonged". [29]

The Yemeni interior ministry said that it was pursuing AQAP members plotting further attacks and would grant rewards in exchange for information on them. On 25 March, it announced the arrest of six suspected AQAP members accused of planning the two bombings along with 10 other plots against foreign and Western interests. [30] They were believed part of a 12-man cell; authorities were said to be pursuing the other six as photos of the suspects were distributed to media. [31]

Responsibility

AQAP claimed responsibility for the Shibam bombing through an internet message on 26 March. [32] The group stated that they had targeted South Koreans due to their country's support for the war on terror. [32] It also called the attack revenge for the killing of Hamza al-Quaiti, the leader of the al-Qaeda-affiliated Soldier's Brigade of Yemen, in August 2008. [33] The group later claimed responsibility for the Sanaa bombing in April, claiming that the attack was meant to highlight the Yemeni government's inability to protect South Koreans. [34]

An initial report on the attack from the state-ran Saba News Agency suggested that the bomber was "tricked into wearing an explosives vest." [14] However, in their claim of responsibility, AQAP stated that the perpetrator "carried out a martyrdom-seeking operation" and referred to him as "Abu Obeida al-Jarrah." [32] [2]

Conflicting reports emerged of the bomber's identity, [25] one report identifying him as Ali Muhsin al-Ahmad, a 19-year-old Yemeni from Taiz who travelled to Somalia in January to train for the attack. Before the attack, the bomber allegedly wrote a letter to his mother stating that his family would never see him again and that he was on the "true path." [35] [25]

Reactions

South Korean foreign minister Yu Myung-hwan sent condolences to the victims of the attack and called for a thorough investigation into it during a phone call with Yemeni foreign minister Abu Bakr al-Qurbi. [36] [37] The Ministry announced that it would issue a travel advisory across all of Yemen after the attack, urging its citizens to leave. [38] [21]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Pradhan, Prasanta Kumar (15 April 2009). "Growing al Qaeda Threat in Yemen". Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses . Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Two Suicide Attacks in Yemen against South Korean Targets – Situation Report" (PDF). International Institute for Counter-Terrorism . 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Johnsen, Gregory D. (26 November 2012). The Last Refuge: Yemen, al-Qaeda, and America's war in Arabia. Scribe Publications. ISBN   978-1-922072-10-8 . Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  4. 1 2 Al-Azaki, Mohamed (10 April 2010). "Yemen: Al-Qaeda reveals new information on attacks against Koreans". Yemen Post . Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  5. ↑ "Korean tourists killed in Yemen". Korea JoongAng Daily . 17 March 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Yemen says Al-Qaeda behind suicide bombing". The Daily Star . Agence France-Presse. 17 March 2009. Archived from the original on 20 March 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 Tae-hoon, Lee (16 March 2009). "Yemen Blames al-Qaida for Attack". The Korea Times . Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  8. 1 2 Mounasser, Hamoud (16 March 2009). "Al-Qaeda blamed for bombing in Yemen". The Sydney Morning Herald . Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on 5 March 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  9. ↑ "Yemen bombing kills 4 South Koreans, guide". NBC News. 15 March 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  10. ↑ "4 Korean Tourists Killed by Bomb in Yemen - The Korea Times". The Korea Times . 15 March 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  11. ↑ Al-Haj, Ahmed (16 March 2009). "Bomb in Yemen kills 4 South Koreans, 1 Yemeni". Ammon News . Associated Press . Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  12. ↑ "Yemen Bombing Dead Return to Seoul". KBS World . 19 March 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  13. 1 2 "S Korean officials attacked while investigating bombing". France 24 . 18 March 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  14. 1 2 "Fresh attack on Koreans in Yemen". BBC News . 18 March 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
  15. ↑ "Bomber targets Korean convoy in Yemen again". Arab News . 19 March 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  16. ↑ "Suicide bomber hits South Korean convoy in Yemen". The Jerusalem Post . 18 March 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  17. ↑ "Suicide bomber strikes South Korean convoy in Yemen". CBC News . 18 March 2009. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  18. ↑ "예멘서 또 한국인 겨냥 폭탄 테러" [Another bomb attack targeting Koreans in Yemen]. Seoul Broadcasting System (in Korean). 19 March 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2025. [The incident occurred at around 8:40 am on that day...]
  19. ↑ Kirk, Donald (18 March 2009). "Korea grapples with second attack in Yemen". Christian Science Monitor . ISSN   0882-7729. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  20. 1 2 "Four tourists die in Yemen blast". ABC News. 15 March 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  21. 1 2 "South Korea sends team to Yemen after blast kills five". Taipei Times . Agence France-Presse. 17 March 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  22. 1 2 예멘 폭탄테러 파견 정부대응팀 오늘 오후 귀국 [The government response team dispatched to Yemen to respond to the bombing will return home this afternoon]. Seoul Broadcasting System (in Korean). 22 March 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  23. 1 2 "Qaeda suicide bomber behind Yemen tourist attack". Reuters. 16 March 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  24. 1 2 Tae-hoon, Lee; Sung-ki, Jung (17 March 2009). "12 Suspects Probed Over Yemen Bombing - The Korea Times". The Korea Times . Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  25. 1 2 3 "South Koreans urged to flee Yemen". BBC News . 19 March 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  26. ↑ "Qaeda bomber behind Yemen attack trained in Somalia". Reuters . 17 March 2009. Archived from the original on 23 March 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  27. ↑ 예멘테러' 현지대응팀 당분간 잔류 [Yemeni terrorism response team to remain in the area for the time being]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). 18 March 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  28. ↑ Sung-ki, Jung (19 March 2009). "Did Yemeni Terrorist Attacks Target Koreans?". The Korea Times . Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  29. ↑ '예멘테러' 미궁으로 빠지나 [Is the Yemeni terrorism case falling into a labyrinth?]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). 25 March 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  30. ↑ "Yemen arrests six al-Qaeda suspects". Al Jazeera . 25 March 2009. Archived from the original on 26 March 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  31. ↑ "6 Terrorist Suspects in Yemen Bombing Arrested". The Dong-A Ilbo . 27 March 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  32. 1 2 3 "Qaeda says hit Koreans in Yemen over U.S. ties". Reuters. 27 March 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  33. ↑ "Al-Qaeda claims attack on Koreans in Yemen". Arab News . 29 March 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  34. ↑ "Yemen's al-Qaida claims attack on South Koreans". The Jerusalem Post . 12 April 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  35. ↑ Arrabyee, Nasser (23 July 2019). "Al Qaida blamed for Yemen bombing". Gulf News . Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  36. ↑ "Bomb in Yemen kills 4 South Koreans". The Daily Star . 17 March 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  37. ↑ "S. Korea asks for thorough probe on Yemen bomb blast". Kuwait News Agency. 16 March 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  38. ↑ 예멘서 폭발로 한국인 4명 사망 [Four Koreans killed in explosion in Yemen]. The Hankyoreh (in Korean). 16 March 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
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