2008 attack on tourists in Yemen

The 2008 Yemen tourist attack was an ambush attack on Belgian tourists traveling in a convoy through Hadhramaut in the Wadi Dawan desert valley on January 18, 2008.

2008 Yemen tourist attack
LocationHadhramaut, Yemen
DateJanuary 18, 2008 (UTC+3)
TargetBelgian tourists
Attack type
Ambush
Deaths5
Injured4
PerpetratorsUnknown, possibly al-Qaeda

Details

A convoy of four jeeps carrying 15 tourists to Shibam were ambushed by gunmen in a hidden pickup truck.[1] Two Belgian women, Claudine Van Caillie, of Bruges, 63, and Katrine Glorie, from East Flanders, 54, as well as two Yemenis, a driver and a guide, were killed; another man was also heavily wounded, several others suffered minor wounds.[2] The tourists were repatriated to Belgium on January 19, except the injured man, who remained in Sanaa.[3]

In the wake of the attack, Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karel De Gucht originally rejected that Al-Qaeda might be responsible, explaining that although the possibility could be avoided, internecine disputes and latent Islamism also to be taken into account.[2] A number of arrests were made on January 21.[4]

Reactions
  • President of the European Council Slovenia released a statement saying "The EU Presidency strongly condemns all forms of violence and calls on the government of Yemen to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice."[5]

See also

References
  1. BBC NEWS - Al-Qaeda attack Belgian Tourists
  2. (in French) Deux Belges tuées au Yémen, Le Soir, January 18, 2008.
  3. (in French) Yémen: les touristes belges rapatriés, Le Soir, January 19, 2008.
  4. (in French) Plusieurs suspects arrêtés au Yémen, Le Soir, January 21, 2008.
  5. Belgian Tourists Return Home From Yemen Ordeal, ArabNews, 20 January 2008.


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