US warns of al Qaeda sea attacks near Yemen

The United States has warned military and commercial vessels plying the coast of Yemen that they may be targeted by al Qaeda, citing the 2000 attack on the USS Cole. "Information suggests that al Qaeda remains interested in maritime attacks in the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait, Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden along the coast of Yemen," a "special advisory" on the website of the US Office of Naval Intelligence said.
The advisory by the US Department of Transportation said although it was unclear how the attacks would occur, "it may be similar in nature to the attacks against the USS Cole in October 2000 and the M/V Limburg in October 2002 where a small to mid-size boat laden with explosives was detonated." Seventeen US sailors were killed in the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden, attributed to al Qaeda.