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USS Cole Bombing
While refueling in the Yemeni port of Aden, the navy destroyer USS Cole was attacked when suicide bombers exploded a small boat alongside the ship. The explosion blew a 40-ft hole in the hull. 17 people were killed and 39 were injured. Although this attack took place before the official formation of Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, this marked the beginning of the US involvement with terrorists in Yemen. -
Al Qaida Members Escape Jail
Twenty-three suspected Al Qaida members (left) escaped from a high-security prison in Sanaa, Yemen's capital. Among those who escaped was Jamal al-Badawi, the leader of the cell responsible for the USS Cole bombing. Most were eventually captured or killed; however, Nasir al Wuhayshi and Qasim al-Raymi evaded capture and became AQAP's amir (leader) and military commander, respectively. They escaped through a tunnel that had been dug to the prison from a nearby mosque. -
Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula Forms
Yemeni and Saudi terrorists created a video message (left) announcing their unification & the beginning of Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Based in Yemen, their goals were to attack US & Western targets, replace secular governments with fundamentalist Islamic ones, take over Sanaa in Yemen, and kill the Saudi royal family. PHOTO: from left to right: Qasim al-Raymi, military commander; Said al-Shihri, deputy amir; Nasir al-Wuhayshi, amir; and Mohammed Atiq al-Harbi, field commander -
Assassination Attempt
On this day, AQAP attempted to assassinate Saudi Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef (left), the Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs, who is in charge of the country's antiterrorism efforts. Bin Nayef was slightly injured; only the suicide bomber died. After the incident, Bin Nayef resolved to continue his fight against terrorism. -
Underwear Bomber
On Christmas day in 2009, AQAP planned an attack on Northwest Airlines flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to set off the bomb made of the plastic-based explosive PETN, but it failed to fully detonate. The media named him the "Underwear Bomber" for his unusual method of smuggling the bomb onboard. The bomb was built by AQAP's bomb-maker Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri. This was the first attack inside the US by an Al-Qaida affiliate since 9/11. -
AQAP Launches Inspire Magazine
AQAP member Samir Khan, once an American citizen, launches Inspire, an English-language online magazine that gives advice on how to be a better terrorist. It contains articles with titles such as "How to Build a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom" that detail how to build bombs, turn pickup trucks into killing machines, and start forest fires in specific locations in the US. The publication comes out quarterly with the goal of creating individual jihadists. -
Bombs Sent Through Mail
The US received a tip from intelligence officials in Saudi Arabia about an AQAP plot to send bombs through the mail. Two packages, addressed to synagogues in Chicago and sent from Sanaa, Yemen, were intercepted in Britain and Dubai. They contained bombs made of PETN that were packed into toner cartridges for computer printers (left). One used a cell phone detonator, and the other had a timer. These bombs were once again made by Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, Al-Qaida's top bombmaker. -
Top AQAP Leaders Killed
On this day, a CIA-operated drone fired missiles on a car with top AQAP officials. Samir Khan (right), the American citizen turned editor of Inspire magazine, was killed. Most notably, however, was the death of Anwar al-Awlaki (left), which ended a two-year manhunt. Al-Awlaki was an American-born cleric who delivered online sermons and lectures for Al-Qaida. He inspired several people to commit acts of terrorism in the US, and planned several himself (including the Dec. 25, 2009 bombing). -
Military Parade Massacre
A suicide bomber disguised as a soldier killed over 90 people and wounded 222 in al-Sabin Square in Yemen's capital of Sanaa. The attack took place during a military parade rehearsal for National Unity Day. It is suspected that the true target of the attack was Defense minister Nasser Ahmed, who was expected to greet the troops later in the day with the army chief-of-staff. This was the largest attack since President Hadi assumed power in February. PHOTO - A memorial parade for those lost. -
Said al-Shihri Dies
Said al-Shihri, the second-in-command of AQAP, died this year. On October 28, 2012, he was wounded in a drone strike and fell into a coma before being declared dead in late January. Al-Shihri was a Guantanamo Bay detainee for six years before being sent to a Saudi program for rehabilitating Islamic militants. Upon his release from the program, he quickly rejoined Al Qaida. He has been reported killed or captured multiple times before, but authorities believe this time he is truly deceased.
