Almotamar.net - President Ali Abdullah Saleh disclosed Tuesday preliminary information mentioning that the implementer of the terrorist attack against Spaniard tourists in Mareb on Monday was not a Yemeni and maybe having another Arab nationality, promising a YR 15 million reward for anyone to guide or arrest any of the involved in the incident.

The president's statements came during his receiving today editors in chief of Gulf newspapers taking part in the 4th meeting of the general secretariat of Gulf Press Federation that is held in the Yemeni capital Sana'a today and chaired by chairman of the federation Turky al-Sadeeri.
During the meeting president Saleh was awarded the Gulf Press coat of arms in appreciation of his role in supporting the press and freedom of the word in Yemen.

In the press conference the president held he talked about many issues and developments, Arab, regional and international and mainly developments of the terrorist incident that targeted a number of Spanish tourists and Yemeni citizens in Mareb governorate.
Welcoming editors in chief of Gulf newspapers the president said the Gulf press is very important an and excellent forum for enlightening the region's public opinion and no doubt the press in the peninsula region and the Gulf is developing continuously and conveys its message well.

In response to a question on the latest information available to the Yemeni security apparatuses on the terrorist attack the president said the security apparatuses had information around four days before the attack on possibility of terrorist events to happen and also explosions but they had not information on where and when. As a matter of fact security authorities have taken security precautions and upped their readiness at all facilities especially oil installations, state institutions and sensitive areas but it has not come to their thinking that the attack will happen in the area around the temple of Awam in Mareb.

The problem was that movements of the tourist convoy were not committed to instructions. There were security instructions that there should be a distance between each car of the convoy but the tourists kept their cars close to each other. Thus the disaster came as bigger than expected despite of the presence of a security car accompanying the tourists, president Saleh elaborated.

The president said the security authorities had earlier chased the terrorist elements that escaped from prison, some of them surrendered themselves and some were arrested but there are 3 to 4 persons who are still at large security authorities are now conducting investigations and examinations in the criminal; laboratory especially checking the DNA and the result may come out in some hours to disclose the identity of the attacking person.

President Saleh added that the act was n doubt a terrorist one that forms a blow to tourism in the region and Yemen. It is a terrorist act condemned by all Yemeni political forces and it is a cowardly act harming the national economy, security, and stability as well as investment. It comes at a times Yemen has opened dialogue with the youth who were, isled after the events of 11 September.

The president added that Yemen witnessed in the past more than one terrorist operation such as the attack on the American destroyer at Aden port, the French oil tanker offshore Hadramout in addition to the attack on the oil installations in Hadramout and Mareb, all of them pose a problem and burden to the national economy.