South Korean convoy in Yemen escapes suicide bomber (Roundup)

Mar 18, 2009, 13:58 GMT

Sana'a, Yemen - A group of South Korean government officials and relatives of victims of a suicide bombing in Yemen narrowly escaped an attack themselves Wednesday in the Middle Eastern country.

The attack took place in front of the al-Dailami military base as the convoy was heading to Sana'a International Airport. The suicide bomber, who was killed in the attack, had been waiting outside the base's gate, police officials said.

There were no other casualties in the attack. Police told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that the attacker apparently missed his target by triggering his explosive belt seconds after the convoy had passed.

Yemen's Interior Ministry confirmed in a brief statement that the Korean convoy was the target of the attack.

'The attack did not cause any casualties, and the suicide bomber's body was torn to small pieces,' the statement said, adding that police have initiated an investigation to identify the attacker.

The South Korean occupants of the convoy - in Yemen to collect information - consisted of four officials and three relatives of victims who died Sunday, Seoul said.

Sunday's bombing killed four Korean tourists and a Yemeni tour guide in south-eastern Hadhramout province.

That incident occurred as a three-car convoy carrying nine Korean tourists traveled an isolated road leading to a mountain overlooking the historic city of Shibam, about 900 kilometres east of Sana'a.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry said it was told by Yemeni authorities that Sunday's attack was carried out by the international terrorist network al-Qaeda.

Hadhramout is one of the strongholds of al-Qaeda in Yemen, and was the scene of a shooting attack on a Belgian tourist convoy in January 2008, in which two female Belgian tourists and three Yemeni drivers were killed.