And Now… Al Qaeda Responsible for Japanese Tanker Attack
August 6th, 2010That’s the ticket.
Via: CBS News:
Ten years after the deadly attack on the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole in the Gulf of Aden, al Qaeda once again struck at sea with a suicide attack on a Japanese oil tanker.
A UAE Coast Guard source confirmed Friday that the tanker, M. Star, was the target of a terrorist attack while passing through international waters near the Strait of Hormouz on July 28.
”UAE explosives experts who collected and examined samples found a dent on the starboard side above the water line and remains of homemade explosives on the hull,” the source said. “Probably the tanker had encountered a terrorist attack from a boat loaded with explosives.”
On Wednesday, an al Qaeda-linked group called “Abdullah Azzam Brigades” issued an online statement claiming that M. Star was the target of a kamikaze attack orchestrated by the group. It identified the suicide bomber as Ayyub al-Taishan. The group said that he blew himself up into the tanker in the Straight of Hormouz, between the U.A.E and Oman, causing major damage to the giant ship, which was carrying two million barrels of crude oil.
The attack only caused minor damage to the tanker’s starboard side, but it raises serious concerns over al Qaeda’s capacity to reach targets at sea, and its renewed interest in maritime Jihad.
