Yemen said seven Spanish tourists and two Yemenis were killed in a suspected al Qaeda suicide car bomb attack on their convoy in the province of Marib yesterday. Six Spanish tourists were wounded in the attack and were taken to hospitals in Sanaa and Marib, about 150 kilometres east of the capital, the official Saba news agency quoted an Interior Ministry source as saying.

"Preliminary information indicate that al Qaeda is behind this cowardly terrorist attack," the source said. The bomber targeted the tourists after their vehicles left a temple in Marib at about 5.30 p.m. (1430 GMT), the source said.

Two of their Yemeni drivers and tourist guides were killed and two were wounded.

"The security bodies will spare no effort to track down the terrorist elements behind this criminal act and present them to justice for a deterring punishment," the source said.

Security sources told Reuters earlier the attack followed an al Qaeda statement last week demanding the release of some of its members jailed in Yemen and warned of unspecified actions.

Residents said body parts were strewn around the charred and damaged vehicles used by the Spaniards. One resident said the blast was very strong and was heard for miles.

Yemen is the ancestral home of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. It joined the US-led war on terrorism launched after the September 11 attacks on the US and has been battling Islamic militants for years.

Scores of tourists and foreigners working in Yemen have been kidnapped over the last decade by tribesmen demanding better schools, roads and services, or the release of jailed relatives.

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