Yemen is offering a reward of more than $75,000 for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for a car bomb attack that killed nine people.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh Tuesday offered the reward after the attack by suspected al-Qaida terrorists at an ancient temple linked to the Queen of Sheba. The temple is a tourist site located in the eastern province of Marib.
The suicide car bomber killed seven Spanish tourists and two Yemenis as well as himself. Seven others were injured. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mr. Saleh said Yemeni authorities had intelligence that al-Qaida was planning an attack. He said security was increased at government buildings and oil facilities, but not at the 3,000-year-old temple.
Spanish authorities traveled to Yemen today to collect the remains of the seven Spaniards who were killed.
In Washington, the U.S. State Department condemned what it called the "vicious and cowardly" attack against innocent civilians.
Yemen is the ancestral homeland of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. The terrorist group has carried out several attacks in the country, including the 2000 bombing of a U.S. warship in the Gulf of Aden that killed 17 American sailors.
Yemen has been a haven for Islamic militants, but the country's government has pledged its support to the U.S. war on terrorism.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
