Unsolved case · 2007
Also known as 2007 attack on tourists in Yemen
08 Marib (1) Tempelj soncaCredit: Ljuba brankCC BY-SA 3.0SourceThe short answer
On 2 July 2007, an al-Qaeda suicide bomber rammed a car bomb into a convoy of Spanish tourists exiting the Temple of Awwam in Marib Governorate, Yemen, killing eight tourists and two Yemeni drivers and wounding others; a Spanish investigation was later closed in 2011 amid a lack of Yemeni cooperation, and no perpetrators were ever tried.
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Suggest coverage for 2007 Temple of Awwam bombingOn 2 July 2007, a suicide car bombing struck a convoy of tourists exiting the Temple of Awwam, an ancient archaeological site in Marib Governorate, Yemen. The attack was carried out by al-Qaeda in Yemen as part of a broader resurgence following a 2006 prison break that freed several militants. A Marib-based cell led by Ali bin Ali Douha recruited 21-year-old Abdu Muhammad Sa'ad Ahmed Ruhayqah, who did not initially know how to drive, and trained him over several weeks before he rammed an explosive-laden 1982 Toyota Land Cruiser—loaded with medical oxygen tanks, TNT, and artillery shells—into the two middle vehicles of a four-car convoy carrying Spanish tourists organized by the Basque agency Banao.
The bombing killed eight Spanish tourists and two Yemeni drivers, and left five tourists, two drivers, and four security personnel injured. One additional tourist, María Asunción Vitorica, died on 14 July after being airlifted for treatment. Survivors described chaotic scenes at the site, located about 50 meters from the temple.
Spain's Audiencia Nacional, under judge Fernando Andreu, opened an investigation the day after the attack, and Yemeni authorities pledged cooperation. Spanish forensic and police teams, along with an FBI unit, were dispatched to Yemen. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh publicly discussed the bombing, initially describing the bomber as a non-Yemeni Arab, and offered a reward for information on the perpetrators. By August 2007, Yemeni authorities had identified an 11-member cell, including Ruhayqah, but none of the alleged perpetrators were in custody. DNA testing was later used to confirm Ruhayqah's identity as the bomber.
Yemeni security raids in the following weeks killed several men connected to the attack, including Egyptian militant Ahmed Bassiouni Dewidar, whose death after a gunfight and grenade explosion during a raid drew scrutiny, and Ali bin Ali Douha, the cell's local leader, who was killed along with others in an August 2007 raid on a Marib safe house. Cooperation between Spanish and Yemeni investigators diminished over time, and the Audiencia Nacional provisionally shelved the case in 2011 without any suspects facing trial.
In 2015, a joint investigation by Al Jazeera and El País featured claims from a man identifying himself as a former al-Qaeda member and government informant, who said he had warned Yemeni security agencies of the impending attack a week in advance but that no action was taken to stop it. He also alleged that several individuals killed by Yemeni authorities in connection with the bombing had been wrongly linked to it. A Spanish prosecutor requested further investigation into these claims, though an Interpol official noted that responsibility for acting on them rested with Yemeni authorities.
The bombing was the first fatal terrorist attack in Yemen to directly target tourists, prompting international condemnation and negatively affecting Yemen's tourism sector, while analysts cited it as evidence of al-Qaeda's reorganization and renewed operational capability in the country.
A prison escape in Yemen freed several al-Qaeda militants, contributing to the group's resurgence.
A three-man cell led by Ali bin Ali Douha assassinated chief criminal investigator Ali Mahmud Qasaylah in Marib.
Thirteen Spanish tourists arrived in Yemen on a tour organized by the Basque agency Banao.
A suicide car bomb struck a convoy of Spanish tourists exiting the Temple of Awwam, killing eight tourists and two Yemeni drivers and wounding others.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh held a press conference on the bombing; wounded tourists were repatriated to Spain.
Spanish police and forensic experts arrived in Yemen to assist in the investigation.
Yemeni security forces raided the residence of Egyptian militant Ahmed Bassiouni Dewidar in Sanaa, resulting in his death.
A government-endorsed rally condemning the attack was held in Sanaa.
Tourist María Asunción Vitorica died from injuries sustained in the bombing.
Yemeni authorities publicly identified Ruhayqah as the bomber through DNA testing and named an 11-man cell responsible for the attack.
President Saleh met with Abidah tribal leaders demanding an end to al-Qaeda presence in Marib.
A raid on an al-Qaeda safe house in Marib killed cell leader Ali bin Ali Douha and others implicated in the bombing.
Ammar Abadah Nasser al-Wa'eli was set to be tried in absentia in Spain.
The Audiencia Nacional provisionally shelved its investigation into the bombing due to lack of cooperation from Yemeni authorities.
Al Jazeera and El País published an investigation featuring claims from an alleged former al-Qaeda informant about the attack.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Retired Spanish banker killed in the bombing, alongside his wife María Teresa Pérez Ubago.[3]
Spanish engineer killed in the bombing, alongside his wife María Isabel Arranz Bocos.[3]
24-year-old Spanish tourist killed in the bombing.[3]
Spanish tourist critically injured in the bombing who died on 14 July 2007 after suffering brain death.[3]
Spanish teacher killed in the bombing, alongside her husband Gabriel Tortosa Ortega.[3]
Spanish teacher killed in the bombing, alongside her husband Antonio Pomés Tallo.[3]
54-year-old Spanish teacher killed in the bombing.[3]
54-year-old Spanish tourist and expedition leader killed in the bombing.[3]
Identified by Yemeni authorities as the suicide bomber who carried out the attack; killed in the bombing and never tried.[3]
Charged and set to be tried in absentia by Spain's Audiencia Nacional beginning February 2010 over the 2007 Temple of Awwam bombing; killed in a US drone strike in Zinjibar, Yemen, in June 2011, with no documented verdict in available sources.[3]
Officially named a person of interest by Yemeni authorities; not charged. A Ministry of Interior statement described him as providing support to the al-Qaeda cell behind the 2007 Temple of Awwam bombing, and he was killed when Yemeni security forces raided his Sanaa residence on 5 July 2007.[3]
Officially named a person of interest by Yemeni authorities; not charged. He was identified as local emir leading the al-Qaeda cell behind the 2007 Temple of Awwam bombing, and was killed in a security-forces raid on a Marib safe house on 8 August 2007.[3]
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Credit: Voice of AmericaPublic domainSourceSOLVEDListenYemeni Ministry of Defense complex, Sanaa, Yemen · 2010s
On 5 December 2013, AQAP-affiliated militants detonated a car bomb and stormed the Yemeni Ministry of Defense complex in Sanaa, occupying a hospital and killing 52 people, including medical staff and patients, before AQAP later apologized for the hospital attack.
SOLVEDListenSana'a, Yemen · 2010s
An Iranian embassy staff member was abducted at gunpoint in Sana'a, Yemen in July 2013 by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and held hostage for roughly 20 months before being released in March 2015 in exchange for five al-Qaeda leaders.
Shanksville, Somerset County, Pennsylvania · 2001
On September 11, 2001, four hijackers affiliated with al-Qaeda took control of United Airlines Flight 93 en route from Newark to San Francisco, intending to crash it into a federal government building in Washington, D.C. After learning by phone of the day's other attacks, passengers and crew fought back, and the aircraft crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all 44 people aboard.
Credit: nrkbetaCC BY-SA 2.0SourceSOLVEDListenOslo and Utøya, Norway · 2011
On 22 July 2011, Anders Behring Breivik detonated a car bomb in Oslo's government quarter, killing 8, then carried out a mass shooting at a Workers' Youth League (AUF) summer camp on the island of Utøya, killing 69. He was convicted in 2012 and sentenced to 21 years of preventive detention, Norway's maximum sentence.
Credit: Oliver MarkCC BY-SA 4.0SourceSOLVEDListenLiaquat National Bagh, Rawalpindi, Pakistan · 2007
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was killed on 27 December 2007 in Rawalpindi following a shooting and suicide bombing after a political rally, an attack that also killed 23 other people. A UN inquiry found her security had been fatally insufficient and the crime scene mishandled; two police officers were later convicted, five Taliban-linked suspects were acquitted, and Pervez Musharraf was indicted but declared a fugitive before being separately sentenced in absentia on unrelated treason charges.
Credit: U.S. Navy photo by Ensign Elizabeth WilliamsPublic domainSourceSOLVEDListenAden harbor, Yemen · 2000
On 12 October 2000, al-Qaeda suicide bombers detonated an explosives-laden boat against the USS Cole while it refueled in Aden, Yemen, killing 17 U.S. Navy sailors and injuring 37 others.
