On 15 September 2006, two suicide attacks occurred at separate oil facilities in Yemen. In the first incident, two attackers driving trucks bombs attempted to blow up storage tanks at the Dhabba Oil Terminal in Hadhramaut Governorate. They failed to reach their target and exploded prematurely, killing one security guard. Within an hour, two other attackers in explosive-laden vehicles tried to raid the in Marib Governorate but were killed by security forces before doing so. Neither site suffered notable damage.
The attacks were claimed by al-Qaeda in Yemen, their first since a prison escape earlier in the year freed many of their members. Authorities arrested al-Qaeda operatives the next day who were planning to conduct a third simultaneous attack in Sanaa. Investigators linked the attacks to a video released days earlier by al-Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri urging strikes against the oil industry in the region. Authorities convicted 32 militants of involvement in planning the attacks in 2007, bestowing sentences ranging from 2 to 15 years of imprisonment.
Having occurred five days before presidential elections in Yemen, the political opposition accused President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his regime of exploiting the attacks for political gain. The day before the election took place, Saleh announced in a press conference the arrest of Hussein al-Dharnani in connection to the attacks and accused opposing candidate Faisal bin Shamlan of employing him as a bodyguard. This was denied by Shamlan and his coalition which instead claimed Dharnani was a regime asset. Dharnani was tried and acquitted of involvement. The attacks are considered to have failed tactically and strategically, but marked an increase in complexity of al-Qaeda operations in Yemen. Background and planning On 3 February 2006, a group of 23 incarcerated jihadists escaped from a prison in Sanaa. This marked the beginning of a resurgence for al-Qaeda in Yemen after years of declining activity. The escapees scattered and silently rebuilt al-Qaeda's network throughout the following months. Fawaz al-Rabeiee lobbied for launching an attack immediately, but leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi preferred to bide their time. Regardless, they began planning out an attack as tribal mediation for the surrender of the escapees stalled. By September only 14 of the 23 fugitives remained at large.
Inspired by an attack in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, earlier in 2006 claimed by the regional al-Qaeda affiliate, Rabeiee organized an attack on two oil facilities in Yemen alongside other escaped militants with the approval of Wuhayshi. Osama bin Laden had been calling for these types of attacks in the region for years. A video of his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was released on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks declaring the Arab states of the Persian Gulf were among their next targets, calling for attacks on oil facilities for stealing Muslim wealth.
The two attack were each carried out by a pair of militants—one escapee and one recruit. In both of them, the more experienced militant was to ram an explosive-laden vehicle into the entrance of the facility allowing for a second car bomb to drive through and hit the intended target. The vast majority of those involved in planning, recruiting and training the attackers were escapees including Rubaiee, Wuhayshi, Qasim al-Raymi, Hamza al-Quaiti and Muhammad al-Umda. Rabeiee reportedly received four million Saudi riyals from Bandar al-Akwa funneled to him by Said al-Akbar to partially fund the operation. Attacks After reciting morning prayers on 15 September 2006, the attackers loaded explosives onto their vehicles and headed to their respective targets. Both attacks occurred within 35 minutes of each other and were reportedly timed to coincide with morning shift changes at each installation. Each vehicle was loaded with up to 10 gas canisters rigged with explosives.
The first attack targeted a joint oil storage facility owned by the Canadian company Nexen at the Dhabba Oil Terminal in Hadhramaut Governorate. The port is regarded as Yemen's primary export station in the Gulf of Aden. At 5:15 a.m. local time, two explosive-laden pickup trucks were spotted driving at high speeds in an attempt to blow up the oil storage tankers. They were driven by Shafiq Ahmad Umar Zayd, an escapee, and Hashim Khalid al-Iraqi. The first vehicle's driver was wearing a uniform resembling those used by the workers, while the second one wore a military uniform.
The bombers failed to reach their intended target. Some sources reported the bombers had failed to reach the site, while a local official told Al Jazeera that one driver breached the main gate and fired a weapon at security guards "as a second car tried to advance behind it", whereupon the guards returned fire and the vehicles exploded. The first vehicle exploded at the perimeter fence, while the second detonated "just inside the perimeter" after the driver was shot. No damage to the site was reported, although a small fire occurred in a storage tanker due to shrapnel and was quickly put out. A security guard employed by Nexen was killed after being struck by gunfire, while two others were wounded.
The second attack targeted the in Marib operated by the American Hunt Oil Company. At 5:50 a.m., two white vehicles similar to those used by staff drove towards the refinery. One was driven by escapee Jarallah Umar while the other was driven by Ahmad Muhammad al-Abiyad. Security guards and Yemeni army troops stationed there intercepted the attackers. One vehicle detonated at the perimeter fence around 200 meters apart from the installation. The other vehicle drove 50 yards within the installation before security fired upon it 100 yards away from the pipelines according to officials. It detonated at an interior fence around 20 from the installation. Both attackers died and no one else was hurt, and the refinery was not damaged.
Responsibility Initially going unclaimed, a statement attributed to al-Qaeda in Yemen claiming responsibility for the attacks surfaced on 7 November 2006 through an Islamist website. Dated to the 20th of Ramadan (corresponding to 13 October), it said the attacks were done on the orders of Bin Laden to "hit the Western economy and stop the robbing of Muslims' wealth", and were successful despite media reports on the contrary. It vowed further attacks against the United States and its allies and demanded that Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh implements Sharia and renounces democracy. It also mentioned revenge for the killings of al-Qaeda leaders Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Abu Ali al-Harithi.
The online statement is believed to be the first of its kind published by al-Qaeda in Yemen. An anonymous US intelligence official told Reuters their analysts were verifying the authenticity of the statement, mentioning they "think they've been trying to get this up on a website for awhile." Separately, an official Fox News told they believed it was authentic and the timing of its release was unrelated to midterm elections in the US. published the first response by a Yemeni government official to the statement, calling it "worrying" but maintaining confidence in security forces to address further threats.
On 6 November 2007, just before the sentencing of a group of militants involved in the attacks, pro al-Qaeda websites shared a video of Zayd, one of the suicide bombers who perpetrated them. In the video he gives a message addressed to Bin Laden and also performs a "traditional Yemeni dance with the other suicide bombers before bidding each other farewell."
Investigation Explosives specialists were deployed at each site in the immediate aftermath of the attacks to search for unexploded ordnance. The Ministry of Interior announced the launch of an investigation. Officials did not want to prematurely assign responsibility, some suggesting possible links with the kidnapping of four French nationals earlier in September. President Saleh announced a $25,500 reward for information leading to the capture or killing of those involved in the attacks.
Four suspected al-Qaeda operatives were arrested at a house in Sanaa on 16 September after a standoff with security forces. Authorities seized 12 bags of explosives, masks, women's clothing, forged documents, a vehicle license plate, and a video camera among other items. Interior minister Rashad al-Alimi said the four had admitted to their association with al-Qaeda after being interrogated and were likely linked to the previous attacks. He also said the attacks were linked to the video released by Zawahiri, acknowledging the presence of al-Qaeda sleeper cells in Yemen. Prime minister Abdul Qadir Bajamal told Saba News Agency that "investigators have uncovered all the details related to the two operations and the identity of the perpetrators." Investigators believed the perpetrators utilized satellite imagery from Google Earth in planning the attacks, which may have helped them inflict slight damage at the Dhabba Oil Terminal.
During a press conference at the Presidential Palace on 19 September, Saleh announced the arrest of Hussein al-Dharnani while also labeling him a bodyguard of rival presidential candidate Faisal bin Shamlan. Saleh accused him of association with the cell arrested in Sanaa and involvement in the Hadhramaut and Marib attacks and the foiled Sanaa plots. State media claimed he owned the house which the cell was arrested in. The state-ran 26 September reported that he utilized multiple names, passports, and identification cards, was a militant in Afghanistan, and was associated with Bin Laden.
The news website of the ruling General People's Congress reported on 20 September that over a three-day period, several people were linked to the attacks during the investigation including Dharnani, whose house was searched and neighbours were questioned. Investigators found the Sanaa cell had links to Rabeiee. The Ministry of Interior stated authorities had learned the identities of the attackers and that the Sanaa cell was preparing to carry out another suicide attack alongside those in Hadhramaut and Marib. Rabeiee was killed alongside fellow militant and prison escapee Muhammad al-Daylami during a gunfight with authorities in Sanaa on 1 October, which also led to the arrest of three associates.
Trial On 4 March 2007, a Yemeni court charged 36 suspected al-Qaeda members, six of then in absentia, with providing logistical support for the attacks along with plotting several other operations against oil infrastructure and business targets in Yemen. They were also accused of housing 10 of the 23 fugitive al-Qaeda members. All the suspects present at the court pleaded not guilty. Six claimed they had been tortured into giving forced confessions.
Prosecutor Khalid al-Mawri accused the suspects of having received training in the Marib desert by Wuhayshi, Raymi, and Rabeiee. He claimed the latter incited them to attack American and Yemeni targets. Abu Bakr al-Rabeiee, the brother of Fawaz, renounced his confession that he and others were planning attacks on US interests in Yemen, instead claiming the admission was extracted through torture and that he had been approached by jihadist groups to participate in attacks in Yemen and Iraq but refused to do so.
By the time a hearing on 6 August was held, the number of individuals charged in the case had dropped to 33 as three of those in absentia had been killed. The prosecution demanded the maximum penalty of 10 to 15 years for each suspect, while the defense said there was no concrete evidence implicating the suspects except for statements made during interrogations they claimed were extracted under duress. The court announced their verdict would be issued on 7 November.