2009 Yemeni tourist attacks
Encyclopedia
Two explosions targeting tourists in Yemen took place in mid-March 2009. Sixteen South Korea
n tourists were in Shibam
, Yemen
, at the time of the first blast. Four Korean tourists alongside their local Yemeni guide were killed in the original attack on 15 March, while three more tourists were injured. Relatives of the victims were involved in the second blast on 18 March; however, the perpetrator succeeded only in killing himself. The initial attack followed numerous calls by members of the Al-Qaeda
military network to attack visitors in the region.
. The explosion could have been due to mines in the area. Three were injured.
hotel to an airport. A young adult man walked between two cars and detonated his explosive vest, killing no one except himself. According to AFP
, Yemeni security officials stated that they had found a fragment of the bomber's identity card. The fragment revealed his address and showed that he was a 20-year-old student.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n tourists were in Shibam
Shibam
Shibam is a town in Yemen with about 7,000 inhabitants. The first known inscription about the city dates from the 3rd century AD...
, Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, at the time of the first blast. Four Korean tourists alongside their local Yemeni guide were killed in the original attack on 15 March, while three more tourists were injured. Relatives of the victims were involved in the second blast on 18 March; however, the perpetrator succeeded only in killing himself. The initial attack followed numerous calls by members of the Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
military network to attack visitors in the region.
15 March attack
The 15 March blast took place when a series of tourists were posing for photographs on a hill overlooking ShibamShibam
Shibam is a town in Yemen with about 7,000 inhabitants. The first known inscription about the city dates from the 3rd century AD...
. The explosion could have been due to mines in the area. Three were injured.
18 March attack
The 18 March attack took place when a convoy of South Korean investigators and the relatives of the victims of the previous attack were journeying from their Sana'aSana'a
-Districts:*Al Wahdah District*As Sabain District*Assafi'yah District*At Tahrir District*Ath'thaorah District*Az'zal District*Bani Al Harith District*Ma'ain District*Old City District*Shu'aub District-Old City:...
hotel to an airport. A young adult man walked between two cars and detonated his explosive vest, killing no one except himself. According to AFP
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
, Yemeni security officials stated that they had found a fragment of the bomber's identity card. The fragment revealed his address and showed that he was a 20-year-old student.
See also
- List of terrorist incidents, 2009
- 2007 South Korean hostage crisis in Afghanistan2007 South Korean hostage crisis in AfghanistanThe 2007 South Korean hostage crisis in Afghanistan began on July 19, 2007, when 23 South Korean missionaries were captured and held hostage by members of the Taliban while passing through Ghazni Province of Afghanistan. Two male hostages were executed before the deal was reached between the...