Suicide bomber hits South Korean convoy
(18 Mar 2009) SHOTLIST 1. Security at attack site where suicide bomber hit a convoy carrying South Korean officials 2. Various of Yemeni police investigation team inspecting scene and debris 3. Mid of onlooker 4. Mid of debris 5. Investigator inspecting debris 6. Various of debris and damage to scene 7. Wide of attack site with onlookers 8. Investigators around electric generator 9. People looking at debris on ground 10. People holding up debris 11. Various of damaged vehicle, part of convoy carrying South Korean officials when attacked 12. Close up of broken glass inside vehicle STORYLINE A suicide bomber on Wednesday struck a convoy carrying South Korean officials sent to Yemen to investigate a bombing earlier in the week that killed four tourists from the country. No one was hurt, officials said. The three-car convoy was carrying South Korean officials and investigators sent to look into a suicide bombing on Sunday that killed four South Korean tourists and their Yemeni driver at a historical site. The South Korean Foreign Ministry confirmed Wednesday's attack and said the convoy was also carrying relatives of the victims of Sunday's attack. They were in the country to recover the bodies of those killed in that attack and were headed to the airport for a flight to return to South Korea when the bomber struck. A Yemeni security official said South Korea's ambassador to the country was also in the convoy hit on Wednesday. But the South Korean Foreign Ministry in Seoul, the Foreign Ministry denied the claim. The bomber walked into the road between two of the vehicles and blew himself up as the convoy was travelling to the airport outside the capital, San'a, the Yemeni official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to media. The blast shattered the windows of the vehicles. Yemeni authorities said al-Qaida was behind Sunday's suicide bombing near the ancient fortress city of Shibam and that 12 suspects were arrested. In June, South Korea will begin importing natural gas from Yemen. But Yemen's poor security has limited trade between the two nations, it totalled 246 (m) million US dollars in 2008. The South Korean government has also sent four (m) million US dollars in aid to Yemen since 1991, according to the South Korean Foreign Ministry. Yemen, an impoverished country in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula has long been a centre of militant activity. Militants have carried out several deadly attacks on tourists, foreign diplomats, the US Embassy, other Western targets and military installations in the country. Yemen was also the site of the 2000 USS Cole bombing that killed 17 American sailors. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
