Marib terrorist attack exposed [Archives:2007/1074/Front Page]
Amel Al-Ariqi
SANA'A, August 4 – Security authorities have identified the body of the suicide bomber who plowed his car into a convoy of Spanish tourists in early July, killing ten people, said Yemen official news agency Saba.
Saba quoted an official that DNA tests of human remains found at the site of the bombing indicated the attacker was 21-year-old Abdu Mohammed Saad Ahmed Reheqah, a Yemeni citizen from the district of Muzher in the Remah governorate.
According to the information, Reheqah rammed a car packed with explosives into a convoy of 13 Spanish tourists on a tour of an ancient temple in Marib on July 2, killing eight Spanish tourists and two local drivers and wounding five Spanish tourists, two Yemeni drivers and four police guards.
The investigations revealed that Reheqah was a member of a terrorist cell, which included eight Yemenis and two foreigners, Naif Mohammed al-Qahtani, a Saudi national, and Ahmed Bassiouni Dewidar, an Egyptian who was killed in a shootout with security officers in Sana'a last month.
The terrorist cell also consisted of Naser Abdul-Karim Al-Waheshi, Mohammed Saleh Al-Kazemi, Qasem Yehya Mahdi Al-Raimi, Ali Naser Dohah, Hamzah Salen Al-Qo'aiti, Ammar Obadah Mus'aod Al-Jobari Al-Wa'aili.
Nasser Al-Wahaishi and Qasem Al-Raimi pronounced themselves as the leaders of the new generation of Al Qaeda in Yemen, issuing a statement on an Islamic website days before the attack demanding the release of some Al-Qaeda members jailed in Yemen and threatening unspecified retaliation. Al-Wahaishi and Al-Raimi escaped from an intelligence prison in Sana'a early last year.
Regarding the Marib attack, security reports mentioned that Reheqah was recruited by Hamza Ali Saleh Al-Dhiyani, a taxi driver who gave the suspect driving lessons and then took him to Marib to introduce him to other members of the terrorist cell.
Before the attack, Reheqah was waiting with his car, a Land Cruiser, on the paved road of Mareb-Safer when the tourists drove by. As the tourists' cars approached the pavement, he launched his car filled with explosives at their second car, killing the tourists and himself.
Seven members of the cell were reportedly tasked with planning and supervising the attack, while two others from Marib provided shelter and protection.
The members from Marib, Naji Ali Jaradan and Ali bin Ali Daoha, were wanted for the murder of a high-ranking security official in Marib, according to the reports.
Police thought that the Egyptian member, an alleged Al-Qaeda operative who was killed a few days after the attack while resisting arrest, was one of the masterminds behind the operation. But Saba said the government's investigation revealed Dewidar had offered logistical support to the group.
Fifteen people have been detained in connection with the investigation, but the members of the terrorist cell who are still alive remain at large, according to Saba. However, the investigation committee affirmed that security authorities have obtained significant information which would assist in arresting remaining cell members, warning that anybody who aids any member of this cell will be considered accomplices.
The Interior Ministry has offered a $75,500 reward for information leading to the capture of those behind the attack.
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