The USS Cole was attacked on October 12, 2000 in Yemen. A small boat carrying explosives and two suicide bombers attacked the ship, leaving a 40 by 40 foot hole left in its side. Seventeen sailors were killed and 47 were injured.CNN: [1]
Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri from Saudi Arabia is believed to be the mastermind behind the attacks. He is currently held at Guantanamo Bay and has been charged with planning the attack by a military commission. The senior military judge who oversees trials at Guantanamo is expected to drop charges against him on February 6, 2009 to comply with President Barack Obama's executive order to stop court proceedings at Guantanamo, it was reported in February 2009.Kansas City: Source: Charges to be dropped in terror trial (February 5, 2009)
Abu al-Nashiri
Al-Nashiri was arrested in the United Arab Emirates in 2002 and was transferred to American custody. SkyNews: Al Nashiri: USS Cole Mastermind (September 29, 2004) He has been held at Guantanamo Bay since 2006. He was charged with "directing and organizing" the attack in June 2008.The New York Times: Pentagon Announces Charges in USS Cole Bombing (June 30, 2008)
USS Cole Information
- GlobalSecurity.org: USS Cole Bombing
References
Fast Facts
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Date
October 12, 2008
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Location
Aden Harbor, Yemen
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Sailors were refueling, eating lunchGlobalSecurity: USS Cole Bombing
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Damage took 18 months, $250 million to repairGlobalSecurity: USS Cole Bombing
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Alleged mastermind Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri met with Osama Bin Laden in 1998 to plot the attack, according to documentsCNN: Military to Seek Death Penalty for USS Cole Suspect (June 30, 2008)
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Al-Nashiri is being held at Guantanamo Bay
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Al-Nashiri initially confessed to plotting the attack
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