2007 Marib suicide car bombing
| 2007 Marib suicide car bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part of the al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen | |
Security guards at the scene after the bombing | |
| Location | Queen of Sheba temple, Marib Governorate, Yemen |
| Coordinates | 15°24′20″N 45°21′19″E / 15.4055°N 45.3553°E |
| Date | 2 July 2007 14:30 (GMT) |
| Target | Spanish tourist convoy |
Attack type | Suicide car bombing |
| Deaths | 11 (including the perpetrator) |
| Injured | 12 |
| Perpetrator | Al-Qaeda in Yemen |
| Assailant | Abdu Mohammed Saad Ahmed Rehaqah † |
On 2 July 2007, at around 14:30 GMT, a suicide bomber drove a car laden with explosives into a convoy of 13 Spanish tourists finishing a visit at the Queen of Sheba temple in Marib Governorate, Yemen. The bomber, Abdu Mohammed Saad Ahmed Rehaqah, was recruited and trained to drive the car bomb by members of al-Qaeda in Yemen, which had published an online message a week prior to the bombing demanding that the Yemeni government release imprisoned militants.
Rehaqah drove the bomb into the two vehicles in the center of the convoy used by the tourists, killing seven of them as well as their two Yemeni drivers. Six Spaniard tourists, two drivers and four security guards were injured in the bombing. The attack was condemned by the governments of Yemen, Spain, and several other countries. Yemeni authorities released the identities of a 11-man cell accused of planning and organizing the bombing on 2 August. Eight of the 11 alleged organizers of the attack were declared fugitives, with six being killed between August 2007 and November 2008.