View source for USS Cole bombing

{{Short description|2000 suicide attack by al-Qaeda}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title            = USS ''Cole'' bombing
| location         = [[Aden, Yemen]]
| date             = {{start date and age|2000|10|12|df=yes}}
| partof           = the [[Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen]]
| image            = [[File:USS Cole (DDG-67) Departs.jpg|border|300px]]
| caption          = The [[Military Sealift Command]] fleet ocean tug {{ship|USNS|Catawba|T-ATF-168|6}} towing {{USS|Cole|DDG-67|6}} after the bombing.
| coordinates      = {{Coord|12.8022|45.0054|display=inline,title}}
| time             = 11:18&nbsp;am
| timezone         = [[UTC]] [[UTC+03:00|+03:00]]
| target           = {{USS|Cole|DDG-67|6}}
| type             = [[Suicide attack]]
| fatalities       = 17 (plus two attackers)
| injuries         = 37
| perpetrators     = [[al-Qaeda]]
}}
{{Campaignbox al-Qaeda attacks}}{{Campaignbox al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen}}{{DISPLAYTITLE:USS ''Cole'' bombing}}
The '''USS ''Cole'' bombing''' was a [[suicide attack]] by [[Al-Qaeda]] against {{USS|Cole|DDG-67|6}}, a [[guided missile destroyer]] of the [[United States Navy]], on 12 October 2000, while it was being refueled in [[Yemen]]'s [[Aden]] harbor.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2018/11/8/18075314/supreme-court-uss-cole-lawsuit-terrorist-sudan | title=Trump's Justice Department is fighting US terrorist attack victims in the Supreme Court|first=Alex|last=Ward|date=8 November 2018 |website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]}}</ref>

Seventeen U.S. Navy sailors were killed and thirty-seven injured<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/browse-by-topic/ships/modern-ships/uss-cole-updated.html|title=USS Cole (DDG-67) Determined Warrior|publisher=Naval History & Heritage Command| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531150203/https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/browse-by-topic/ships/modern-ships/uss-cole-updated.html|archive-date=31 May 2019|access-date=6 April 2021}}</ref> in the deadliest attack against a United States naval vessel since the [[USS Stark incident|USS ''Stark'' incident]] in 1987.

Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack. A U.S. judge has held [[Sudan]] liable for the attack, while another has released over $13 million in Sudanese frozen assets to the relatives of those killed. The [[United States Navy]] reconsidered its [[rules of engagement]] in response to this attack. On 30 October 2020, Sudan and the United States signed a bilateral claims agreement to compensate families of the sailors who died in the bombing.<ref name="2017-2021.state.gov">{{Cite web|title=U.S.-Sudan Signing Ceremony on Bilateral Claims Agreement|url=https://2017-2021.state.gov/u-s-sudan-signing-ceremony-on-bilateral-claims-agreement/|access-date=2021-07-26|website=United States Department of State|language=en-US}}</ref> The agreement entered into force in February 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Receipt of Funds for Resolution of Certain Claims Against Sudan|url=https://www.state.gov/receipt-of-funds-for-resolution-of-certain-claims-against-sudan/|access-date=2021-07-26|website=United States Department of State|language=en}}</ref>

==Attack==
[[File:Defense.gov News Photo 001012-N-0000N-001.jpg|thumb|right|USS ''Cole'' after the attack]]
On the morning of Thursday, 12 October 2000, ''Cole'', under the command of [[Commander (United States)|Commander]] [[Kirk Lippold]], docked in Aden harbor for a routine fuel stop. ''Cole'' completed mooring at 9:30 and began refueling at 10:30. Around 11:18 local time (08:18 [[UTC]]), a small [[fiberglass]] boat carrying [[C-4 (explosive)|C4]] explosives and two suicide bombers approached the port side of the destroyer and exploded,<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=H7fT0BQxwDsC&pg=PA353 |title= Encyclopedia of Terrorism |first1= Cindy C. |last1= Combs |first2= Martin W. |last2= Slann |publisher= [[Infobase Publishing]] |year= 2009 |isbn= 9781438110196 |page= 353 }}</ref> creating a {{convert|40|by|60|ft|adj=on}} gash in the ship's port side, according to the memorial plate to those who lost their lives. Former [[CIA]] intelligence officer Robert Finke said the blast appeared to be caused by C4 explosives molded into a [[shaped charge]] against the hull of the boat.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0010/18/bp.00.html | work=CNN | access-date=27 May 2010 | title=Burden of Proof | archive-date=16 January 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116191154/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0010/18/bp.00.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> More than {{convert|1000|lbs}} of explosive were used.<ref name="Guardian Bomb Type">{{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/aug/21/alqaida.iraq |title=Bomb type and tactics point to al-Qaida |last= Whitaker|first=Brian |date=21 August 2003<!-- 09.00 BST -->|work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=11 July 2009 | location=London}}</ref> Much of the blast entered a mechanical space below the ship's [[Galley (kitchen)|galley]], violently pushing up the deck, thereby killing crew members who were lining up for lunch.<ref name=Cosmopolitan010901>{{cite magazine | title='I Survived a Terrorist Attack': Jennifer Kudrik talks about the attack on the USS ''Cole'' | magazine=[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]] | date=1 September 2001 }}</ref> The crew fought flooding in the engineering spaces and had the damage under control after three days. Divers inspected the hull and determined that the [[keel]] had not been damaged.

The sailors injured in the explosion were taken to the [[United States Army]]'s [[Landstuhl Regional Medical Center]] near [[Ramstein Air Base|Ramstein]], Germany, before being sent to the United States. The attack was the deadliest against a U.S. naval vessel since an Iraqi aircraft's attack on {{USS|Stark|FFG-31|6}} on 17 May 1987. The [[asymmetric warfare]] attack was organized and directed by the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda.{{refn|<ref name=CNN-05-15>{{cite news | url =http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/05/15/cole.bombing.charges/index.html | title=Yemeni pair charged in USS Cole bombing | website=[[Cable News Network]] | date=15 May 2003 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030602143447/http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/05/15/cole.bombing.charges/index.html | archive-date = 2 June 2003 }}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071028060628/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/26/terror/main3414029.shtml Yemen Frees USS Cole Bomb Plotter. Al-Qaeda Mastermind Of 2000 Attack On Ship Pardoned After Turning Himself In]. Associated Press. SAN'A, Yemen, 26 October 2007.</ref><ref>GlobalSecurity.org. [http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/profiles/uss_cole_bombing.htm USS Cole bombing]. Page maintained by John Lumpkin – Senior Fellow, GlobalSecurity.org.</ref><ref>GlobalSecurity.org. [http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/profiles/generate_group_activities.php?name=Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda Activities].</ref>}} In June 2001, an Al-Qaeda recruitment video featuring [[Osama bin Laden]] boasted about the attack and encouraged similar attacks.<ref>CNN. [http://archives.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/06/21/video.binladen/ Video shows bin Laden urging Muslims to prepare for fighting] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706185720/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/06/21/video.binladen/ |date=6 July 2008 }}. 21 June 2001.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-claim-for-the-cole/|title=A Claim For The Cole|date=20 June 2001|work=CBS|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020404184414/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/06/20/world/main297600.shtml|archive-date=April 4, 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=80896&page=1|title=Video Offers Strong Bin Laden-USS Cole Link|work=ABC News|date=June 19, 2001}}</ref>

Al-Qaeda had previously attempted a similar but less publicized attack on the U.S. Navy destroyer {{USS|The Sullivans|DDG-68|6}} while in port at Aden on 3 January 2000, as a part of the [[2000 millennium attack plots]]. The plan was to load a boat full of explosives and detonate them near ''The Sullivans''. However, the boat was so overladen that it sank, forcing the attack to be abandoned.<ref name="Terrorism">[https://www.fbi.gov/publications/terror/terror2000_2001.htm Terrorism 2000/2001]. [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]]. [[United States Government Printing Office]] 2004–306-694.</ref><ref name=Piszkiewicz2003>{{Cite book | last = Piszkiewicz | first = Dennis | year = 2003 | title = Terrorism's war with America : a history | page = [https://archive.org/details/terrorismswarwit00denn/page/123 123] | isbn = 978-0-275-97952-2 | publisher = Praeger | location = Westport, Conn. | url = https://archive.org/details/terrorismswarwit00denn/page/123 }}</ref>

Planning for the October attack was discussed at the [[Kuala Lumpur al-Qaeda Summit|Kuala Lumpur Al-Qaeda Summit]] from 5 to 8 January, shortly after the failed attempt. Along with other plotters, the summit was attended by future [[September 11 attacks|September 11]] [[Hijackers in the September 11 attacks|hijacker]] [[Khalid al-Mihdhar]], who then traveled to [[San Diego]], California. On 10 June 2000, Mihdhar left San Diego to visit his wife in Yemen at a house also used as a communications hub for Al-Qaeda.<ref>Nova: The Spy Factory television show.</ref><ref>9/11 and Terror Travel, p. 11.</ref><ref name="ksm">[[s:Substitution for the Testimony of KSM|Substitution for the Testimony of KSM]] at the trial of [[Zacarias Moussaoui]].</ref> After the bombing, Yemeni Prime Minister [[Abdul Karim al-Iryani]] reported that Mihdhar had been one of the key planners of the attack and had been in the country at the time of the attacks.<ref name="smith">Smith (2005), p. 60.</ref> He later returned to the United States to participate in the 9/11 hijacking of [[American Airlines Flight 77]], which flew into [[the Pentagon]], killing 184 people.

===Rescue===
The first naval ship on the scene to assist the stricken ''Cole'' was {{HMS|Marlborough|F233|6}}, a [[Type 23 frigate]] of the [[Royal Navy]], under the command of [[Captain (Royal Navy)|Captain]] [[Anthony Rix]]. She was on passage to the UK after a six-month deployment in the [[Persian Gulf]]. ''Marlborough'' had full medical and damage control teams on board, and when her offer of assistance was accepted she immediately diverted to Aden.<ref name="Royal Navy frigate first to respond">{{cite web |title=Attack on the USS Cole (October 12, 2000) |url=https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Notable-Graves/Casualties-of-War/USS-Cole |website=Arlington National Cemetery |publisher=United States Department of Defense |access-date=24 January 2025}}</ref> Eleven of the most badly injured sailors were sent via [[Medical evacuation|medevac]] provided by the [[French Air Force]] to a French military hospital in [[Djibouti]] and underwent surgery before being sent to Germany.<ref name="US Forces rush to aid USS Cole">{{cite news |title=USS Cole (DDG-67) Determined Warrior |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/ships/modern-ships/uss-cole.html |access-date=24 January 2025 |work=Naval History and Heritage Command |publisher=United States Navy |date=17 September 2024}}</ref>
[[File:MV Blue Marlin carrying USS Cole.jpg|thumb|left|{{MV|Blue Marlin}} carrying USS ''Cole'']]

The first U.S. military support to arrive was a [[U.S. Air Force Security Forces]] [[Quick Reaction Force]] from the 363rd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, [[363rd Air Expeditionary Wing]], based in [[Prince Sultan Air Base]], Saudi Arabia, transported by [[C-130 Hercules|C-130]] aircraft.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} They were followed by another small group of United States Marines from the Interim [[Marine Corps Security Force Regiment|Marine Corps Security Force]] Company, Bahrain, flown in by [[Lockheed P-3 Orion|P-3 Orion]] aircraft. Both forces landed a few hours after the ship was struck and were reinforced by a U.S Marine platoon with the 1st [[Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team]] Company (FAST), based out of [[Norfolk, Virginia]]. The Marines from 6th Platoon, 1st FAST arrived on 13 October from Norfolk.<ref name="US Forces rush to aid USS Cole" />

{{USS|Donald Cook|DDG-75|6}} and {{USS|Hawes|FFG-53|6}} made best speed to arrive in the vicinity of Aden that afternoon providing repair and logistical support. {{USNS|Catawba|T-ATF-168|6}}, {{USS|Camden|AOE-2|6}}, {{USS|Anchorage|LSD-36|2}}, {{USS|Duluth|LPD-6|2}} and {{USS|Tarawa|LHA-1|2}} arrived in Aden some days later, providing watch relief crews, harbor security, damage control equipment, billeting, and food service for the crew of ''Cole''. [[Landing Craft Utility#United States|Landing craft (LCU)]] from the [[amphibious assault ship]]s provided daily runs from ''Tarawa'' with hot food and supplies, and ferried personnel to and from all other naval vessels supporting ''Cole''. In the remaining days LCU 1632 and various personnel from LCU 1666 teamed up to patrol around ''Cole''.<ref name="US Forces rush to aid USS Cole" />

==Investigation==
In a form of transport pioneered in 1988 by {{USS|Samuel B. Roberts|FFG-58|6}} aboard ''[[Mighty Servant 2]]'', ''Cole'' was hauled from Aden aboard the Norwegian [[Heavy-lift ship#Submerging types|semi-submersible heavy lift salvage ship]] {{MV|Blue Marlin}}. ''Cole'' arrived in [[Pascagoula, Mississippi]], on 13 December 2000, where she was rebuilt.

[[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] and [[Naval Criminal Investigative Service|NCIS]] agents sent to Yemen to investigate the bombing worked in an extremely hostile environment. They were met at the airport by Yemeni special forces with "...each soldier pointing an [[AK-47]]." Speakers in the [[House of Representatives (Yemen)|Yemeni parliament]] "calling for jihad against America" were broadcast on local television each night. After some delay, the Yemenis produced a CCTV video from a harborside security camera, but the crucial moment of the explosion was deleted.<ref>Wright, Lawrence, ''Looming Tower'', Knopf, (2006), p. 325, {{ISBN|0-375-41486-X}}.</ref> "There were so many perceived threats that the agents often slept in their clothes and with their weapons at their sides." At one point, the hotel where the agents stayed "was surrounded with men in traditional dress, some in Jeeps, all carrying guns." Finally the agents abandoned their hotel to stay at a US Navy vessel in the Bay of Aden, but they still did not feel safe. After being granted "permission from the Yemeni government to fly back to shore," an agent said their helicopter took evasive action during the flight due to fears of shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles.<ref name=Tower>Wright, Lawrence, ''Looming Tower'', Knopf, (2006), pp. 322–331, {{ISBN|0-375-41486-X}}.</ref>

== Responsibility ==
On 14 March 2007, a federal judge in the United States, [[Robert G. Doumar]], ruled that the Sudanese government was liable for the bombing.<ref name=Michael2->{{cite web
| url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna17598388
| title=Federal judge rules Sudan responsible for USS ''Cole'' bombing in 2000
| access-date=14 March 2007
| publisher=NBC News
| author=NBC News
| date=14 March 2007
}}</ref>

The ruling was issued in response to a lawsuit filed against the Sudanese government by relatives of the victims, who claim that Al-Qaeda could not have carried out the attacks without the support of Sudanese officials. The judge said: {{quote|There is substantial evidence in this case presented by the expert testimony that the government of Sudan induced the particular bombing of the ''Cole'' by virtue of prior actions of the government of Sudan.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02E5DC1E31F936A25750C0A9619C8B63 | work=The New York Times | title=Judge Finds Sudan Is Liable in Cole Case | date=15 March 2007 | access-date=27 May 2010}}</ref>}}

On 25 July 2007, Doumar ordered the Sudanese government to pay $8 million to the families of the 17 sailors who died. He calculated the amount they should receive by multiplying the salary of the sailors by the number of years they would have continued to work.<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6916598.stm Sudan must pay USS ''Cole'' victims]. 25 July 2007.</ref> The following day, Sudan's Justice Minister Mohammed al-Mard said Sudan intended to appeal the ruling.<ref>[http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/B868384.htm Sudan to appeal verdict in USS ''Cole'' bombing case]. 26 July 2007.</ref>

In March 2015, U.S. federal judge Rudolph Contreras found both Iran and Sudan complicit in the 2000 bombing of the USS ''Cole'' by Al-Qaeda, stating that "Iran was directly involved in establishing Al-Qaeda's Yemen network and supported training and logistics for Al-Qaeda in the Gulf region" through Hezbollah. Two previous federal judges had ruled that Sudan was liable for its role in the attack, but Contreras's "ruling is the first to find Iran partly responsible for the incident."<ref>{{cite news|last=Hsu|first=Spencer S.|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/judge-orders-sudan-iran-to-pay-75-million-to-family-of-uss-cole-victim/2015/03/31/a2105dd8-d7b8-11e4-ba28-f2a685dc7f89_story.html|title=Judge orders Sudan, Iran to pay $75 million to family of USS ''Cole'' victim|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2015-03-31|access-date=2017-05-02}}</ref>

By May 2008, all defendants convicted in the attack had escaped from prison or been freed by Yemeni officials.<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/03/AR2008050302047.html
|title=Probe of USS ''Cole'' Bombing Unravels: Plotters Freed in Yemen; U.S. Efforts Frustrated
|first=Craig
|last=Whitlock
|newspaper=The Washington Post
|date=4 May 2008}}</ref> On 30 June 2008, [[Brigadier General]] [[Thomas W. Hartmann]], legal advisor to the U.S. military tribunal system, announced that charges were being sworn against [[Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri]], a Saudi Arabian citizen of Yemeni descent, who had been held at the [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp|military prison]] in [[Guantanamo Bay Naval Base|Guantanamo Bay]], Cuba, since 2006. Pentagon officials said the charges "organizing and directing" the ''Cole'' bombing still needed approval by a [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] official who oversees [[Guantanamo military commission|military commissions]] set up for terrorism suspects. Pentagon officials said they would seek the death penalty.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hr9LuImkGdEIRBsAHVkttBHKPF3QD91KI6000
|title=Pentagon announces charges in USS ''Cole'' bombing
|first=Pauline
|last=Jelinek
|publisher=Associated Press
|date=30 June 2008
}}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

=== Alleged mastermind ===
Several people have been described as the ''Cole'' bombing mastermind.{{refn|<ref name=Cnn2002-11-21>
{{cite news|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/11/21/alqaeda.capture/index.html|title=U.S.: Top al Qaeda operative arrested|date=21 November 2002|publisher=[[CNN]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425070312/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/11/21/alqaeda.capture/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 April 2009}}</ref><ref name=CbsNews20021109>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lackawanna-6-link-to-yemen-killings-04-11-2002/|title='Lackawanna 6' Link To Yemen Killings?|publisher=[[CBS News]]|date=8 November 2002|access-date=20 September 2007}}</ref><ref name=TheAge20021106>{{cite news| url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/11/05/1036308311314.html?oneclick=true |title=US missiles kill al Qaeda suspects|date=6 November 2002|author=Walter Pincus|newspaper=[[The Age]]|access-date=20 September 2007|author-link=Walter Pincus}}</ref><ref name=TheJuristOpinion20021107>{{cite news|url=http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forum/forumnew68.php|publisher=[[The Jurist]]|title=The Yemen Attack: Illegal Assassination or Lawful Killing?|author=Jeffrey Addicott|date=7 November 2002|access-date=20 September 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060418144456/http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forum/forumnew68.php|archive-date=18 April 2006|df=dmy-all|author-link = Jeffrey Addicott}}</ref><ref name=MitTech20021108>{{cite news|date=8 November 2002|url=http://tech.mit.edu/V122/N54/long4-54.54w.html|title=U.S. Citizen Among Those Killed in Yemen Predator Missile Strike|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|author=Dana Priest|access-date=20 September 2007|author-link=Dana Priest|archive-date=3 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203204727/http://tech.mit.edu/V122/N54/long4-54.54w.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>}} A Guantanamo Military Commission said [[Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri]],<ref>[[Salon.com]], [http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/12/23/guantanamo/ Goodbye to Guantanamo?], 23 December 2008</ref> captured in late 2002, was the planner.<ref name=Cnn2002-11-21/> Al-Nashiri was one of the three "[[high-value detainees]]" the [[George W. Bush]] administration would acknowledge had been subjected to [[waterboarding]] and other "[[enhanced interrogation techniques]]."

[[Abu Ali al-Harithi]] was one of the first suspected terrorists to be targeted by a missile-armed [[Predator drone]].{{refn|<ref name=CbsNews20021109/><ref name=TheAge20021106/><ref name=TheJuristOpinion20021107/><ref name=MitTech20021108/>}} He, too, was described as the mastermind of the ''Cole'' bombing.

In 2003, the U.S. Justice Department indicted two people who were believed to have been the last main co-conspirators who were still at large, [[Jamal Ahmad Mohammad Al Badawi]] and [[Fahd al-Quso]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/archive/ag/speeches/2003/051503agremarksusscole.htm|title=#05-15-03: Attorney General John Ashcroft Announces Indictment for the Bombing of the U.S.S. Cole|website=www.justice.gov|access-date=21 October 2018}}</ref> Jamal Ahmad Mohammad Al Badawi was convicted in Yemen and sentenced to death.<ref name=FoxNews2006-02-06>
{{cite news
| url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/uss-cole-bombing-mastermind-escapes-prison
| title=USS Cole Bombing Mastermind Escapes Prison
| date=6 February 2006
| quote=Yemeni officials said Jamal al-Badawi – a man convicted of plotting, preparing and helping carry out the Cole bombing – was among the fugitives, Interpol said. Al-Badawi was among those sentenced to death in September 2004 for plotting the attack, in which two suicide bombers blew up an explosives-laden boat next to the destroyer as it refueled in the Yemeni port of Aden on October 12, 2000.
| publisher=[[Fox News Channel|Fox News]]
| url-status=live
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430024300/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,183911,00.html
| archive-date=30 April 2008
}}</ref> Fahd al-Quso was killed by a U.S. drone strike on 6 May 2012.<ref>{{Cite news | url = https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/airstrike-kills-senior-al-qaida-leader-yemen-16290426#.T6bXqu3IY20 | work = ABC News | access-date = 6 May 2012 | date = 6 May 2012 | title = Airstrike Kills Senior Al-Qaida Leader in Yemen | author = Ahmed Al-Haj}}</ref> Al-Badawi, also called a "mastermind" of the ''Cole'' bombing, was one of seventeen captives who escaped through a tunnel from a Yemeni jail in 2006. Al-Badawi was killed in a drone strike on 1 January 2019 in the Marib governate, Yemen.<ref>{{cite news |title=USS Cole bombing mastermind killed in US airstrike, says report |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/uss-cole-terrorism-jamel-ahmed-mohammed-ali-albadawi-alqaeda-yemen-911-killed-latest-a8712106.html |access-date=6 January 2019 |work=The Independent |date=4 January 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/secret-u-s-missile-aims-to-kill-only-terrorists-not-nearby-civilians-11557403411|title=Secret U.S. Missile Aims to Kill Only Terrorists, Not Nearby Civilians|author=Gordon Lubold and Warren P. Strobel|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=9 May 2019}}</ref>

[[Tawfiq bin Attash]], who was captured in Pakistan in 2003 and is currently{{When|date=February 2017}} being held in U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay, was "considered the mastermind" of the bombing.<ref name=2006-03-28>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/28/moussaoui/index.html|title=Al Qaeda witnesses saw Moussaoui as a bumbler|date=28 March 2006|author=Phil Hircshkorn|quote=Tawfiq Bin Atash, a senior al Qaeda operative considered the mastermind of the USS Cole bombing in 2000, also assisted the 9/11 plot.|publisher=[[CNN]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703104421/http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/28/moussaoui/index.html|url-status=live|archive-date=3 July 2009}}</ref> An Al-Qaeda commander in Yemen also confirmed that another co-conspirator in the bombing, Abdul Mun'im Salim al-Fatahani, was killed in a [[Drone attacks in Yemen|U.S. drone strike]] on 31 January 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/02/aqap_operative_kille.php|title=AQAP operative killed in recent drone strike in Yemen|work=Long War Journal|date=3 February 2012|publisher=[[Foundation for Defense of Democracies|FDD]]|access-date=21 October 2018}}</ref> On 6 May 2012, officials from the Yemen government reported that al-Quso was killed in an airstrike earlier in the day in southern Yemen.<ref name=ippqpvzbcage>{{cite web | last=Al-Haj | first=Ahmed | url = https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iUjpp3Oa6oTLUEqW1-7oU_gSJOcw?docId=891f126ccd454599a252dd2ac3ee685f | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120509015546/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iUjpp3Oa6oTLUEqW1-7oU_gSJOcw?docId=891f126ccd454599a252dd2ac3ee685f | url-status = dead | archive-date = 9 May 2012 | title = US airstrike kills senior al-Qaida leader in Yemen | date = 6 May 2012 | publisher = [[The Associated Press]] }}</ref> The report was later confirmed by U.S. officials and Al-Qaeda's media network [[As-Sahab]].<ref name=ippqpvzbcage />

==Aftermath==
===Rules of engagement===
{{location map|Yemen|caption=Approximate location of bombing, Aden Harbor, Yemen|lat_deg=12.8|lat_min=0|lat_sec=0|lon_deg=45.0|lon_min=0|lon_sec=0}}
The destroyer's rules of engagement, as approved by the Pentagon, forbade guards to fire upon the small boat (which was not known to be loaded with explosives) without permission from ''Cole''{{'}}s captain or another officer.<ref name=Robinson>{{Cite news|last=Robinson|first=Stephen|title=Bombed US warship was defended by sailors with unloaded guns|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/yemen/1374316/Bombed-US-warship-was-defended-by-sailors-with-unloaded-guns.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/yemen/1374316/Bombed-US-warship-was-defended-by-sailors-with-unloaded-guns.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|journal=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|date=15 November 2000|access-date=27 May 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Petty Officer John Washak said that right after the blast, a senior chief petty officer ordered him to turn an M-60 machine gun on ''Cole''{{'}}s fantail away from a second small boat approaching. "With blood still on my face", he said, he was told: "That's the rules of engagement: no shooting unless we're shot at." He added, "In the military, it's like we're trained to hesitate now. If somebody had seen something wrong and shot, he probably would have been court-martialed." Petty Officer Jennifer Kudrick said that if the sentries had fired on the suicide craft, "we would have gotten in more trouble for shooting two foreigners than losing seventeen American sailors."<ref name=Robinson /><!----There needs to be a counter-point added here for these "what if" scenarios (if possible). What if they shot at a small boat near-by and killed innocent fishermen? (with sourcing, of course)---->
=== Consequences ===
President [[Bill Clinton]] declared, "If, as it now appears, this was an act of terrorism, it was a despicable and cowardly act. We will find out who was responsible and hold them accountable."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/13/world/in-clinton-s-words-doing-their-duty.html|title=In Clinton's Words: 'Doing Their Duty'|date=13 October 2000|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

On 19 January 2001, the U.S. Navy completed and released its [[Judge Advocate General's Corps|Judge Advocate General]] Manual (JAGMAN) investigation of the incident, concluding that ''Cole''{{'}}s commanding officer Commander Kirk Lippold "acted reasonably in adjusting his force protection posture based on his assessment of the situation that presented itself" when ''Cole'' arrived in Aden to refuel. The JAGMAN investigation also concluded that "the commanding officer of ''Cole'' did not have the specific intelligence, focused training, appropriate equipment or on-scene security support to effectively prevent or deter such a determined, preplanned assault on his ship", and recommended significant changes in Navy procedures. In spite of this finding, Lippold was subsequently denied promotion and retired at the same rank of commander in 2007.<ref name="Roberts, John 2008">Roberts, John, and Jamie McIntyre, "Exclusive Interview With Former USS ''Cole'' Captain", ''The Situation Room'', [[CNN|Cable News Network]], 1 July 2008.</ref>

In Afghanistan the bombing was a "great victory for [[Osama bin Laden|bin Laden]]. Al-Qaeda camps filled with new recruits, and contributors from the Gulf States arrived with [[Petrodollar recycling|petrodollar]]s."<ref name=Tower />

Both Clinton and his successor [[George W. Bush]] had been criticized for failing to respond militarily to the attack on ''Cole'' before 11 September 2001. The ''[[9/11 Commission Report]]'' cites one source who said in February 2001, "[bin Laden] complained frequently that the United States had not yet attacked. According to the source, Bin Laden wanted the United States to attack, and if it did not he would launch something bigger."<ref name=911CommissionChap6>{{Cite web | url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch6.htm |publisher=[[9/11 Commission]] |title=Chapter 6 |access-date=4 March 2007}}</ref>

Evidence of Al-Qaeda's involvement was inconclusive for months after the attack. The staff of the 9/11 Commission found that Al-Qaeda's direction of the bombing was under investigation but "increasingly clear" on 11 November 2000. It was an "unproven assumption" in late November. By 21 December the CIA had made a "preliminary judgment" that "al Qaeda appeared to have supported the attack" without a "definitive conclusion".<ref name=911CommissionStaffStatement8>{{Cite web |url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/staff_statements/staff_statement_8.pdf |publisher=[[9/11 Commission]] |title=Staff Statement 8 |access-date=4 March 2007}}</ref>

Accounts thereafter are varied and somewhat contradictory. Then-[[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]] [[Condoleezza Rice]] told the Commission that when the administration took office on 20 January 2001; "We knew that there was speculation that the 2000 ''Cole'' attack was al Qaeda. We received, I think, on January 25 the same assessment [of Al-Qaeda responsibility]. It was preliminary. It was not clear." On 9 February, Vice President [[Dick Cheney]] was briefed on bin Laden's responsibility "without hedge."<ref name="WashingtonPost020119">{{Cite news|author=Barton Gellman|date=20 January 2002|title=A Strategy's Cautious Evolution: Before Sept. 11, the Bush Anti-Terror Effort Was Mostly Ambition|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A8734-2002Jan19|url-status=dead|access-date=6 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513090104/http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A8734-2002Jan19|archive-date=13 May 2011}}</ref> One report stated that "six days after Bush took office", the FBI "believed they had clear evidence tying the bombers to Al Qaeda."<ref name=Newsweek>{{Cite news |url=http://foi.missouri.edu/terrorismfoi/whatwentwrong.html |title=The inside story of the missed signals and intelligence failures that raise a chilling question: did September 11 have to happen? |author=Michael Hirsh, Michael Isikoff |work=Newsweek |date=27 May 2002 |access-date=4 March 2007 |archive-date=23 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070223042859/http://foi.missouri.edu/terrorismfoi/whatwentwrong.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

These conclusions are contrasted by testimony of key figures before the 9/11 Commission, summarized in the ''[[9/11 Commission Report]]''. Former CIA Director [[George Tenet]] testified (page 196) that he "believed he laid out what was knowable early in the investigation, and that this evidence never really changed until after 9/11."<ref name=911Commission /> The report suggests (pages 201–202) that the official assessment was similarly vague until at least March 2001:

<blockquote style="font-size:100%">On 25 January, Tenet briefed the President on the ''Cole'' investigation. The written briefing repeated for top officials of the new administration what the CIA had told the Clinton White House in November. This included the "preliminary judgment" that al Qaeda was responsible, with the caveat that no evidence had yet been found that Bin Ladin himself ordered the attack in March 2001, the CIA's briefing slides for Rice were still describing the CIA's "preliminary judgment" that a "strong circumstantial case" could be made against al Qaeda but noting that the CIA continued to lack "conclusive information on external command and control" of the attack.<ref name=911Commission>{{Cite web |url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/index.htm |publisher=[[9/11 Commission]] |title=911 Commission Report |access-date=4 March 2007}}</ref></blockquote>

According to Rice, the decision not to respond militarily to the ''Cole'' bombing was President Bush's. She said he "made clear to us that he did not want to respond to al Qaeda one attack at a time. He told me he was 'tired of swatting flies.'" The administration instead began work on a new strategy to eliminate Al-Qaeda.<ref name=911Commission040408>{{Cite web |url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/archive/hearing9/9-11Commission_Hearing_2004-04-08.htm |publisher=[[9/11 Commission]] |title=Hearing transcript from 8 April 2004 |access-date=4 March 2007}}</ref>

As a result of the ''Cole'' bombing, the U.S. Navy began to reassess its anti-terrorism and force protection methods, both at home and abroad. The Navy stepped up Random Anti-Terrorism Measures (RAM), which are meant to complicate the planning of a terrorist contemplating an attack by making it difficult to discern a predictable pattern to security posture.<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/congress/2001_hr/01-06-28bouchard.htm Statement of Captain Joseph F. Bouchard, USN, Commanding Officer, NS Norfolk to the Special Oversight Panel on Terrorism of the House Armed Service Committee]. via GlobalSecurity.org 28 June 2001.</ref>

In November 2001, the Navy opened an Anti-Terrorism and Force Protection Warfare Center at Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Little Creek, in [[Virginia Beach, Virginia]], with the objective of developing tactics, equipment and training to combat terrorists.<ref>[http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/archive/2002/June/Pages/US_Navy4066.aspx U.S. Navy Raises Barriers To Protect Base at Norfolk] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114211826/http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/ARCHIVE/2002/JUNE/Pages/US_Navy4066.aspx |date=14 January 2011 }} National Defense Magazine. June 2002. [[National Defense Industrial Association]].</ref>

On 3 November 2002, a [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]-operated [[General Atomics MQ-1 Predator|Predator UAV]] fired an [[AGM-114 Hellfire]] missile at a vehicle in Yemen carrying Abu Ali al-Harithi, a suspected planner of the bombing plot. Also in the vehicle was [[Kamal Derwish]], a.k.a. Ahmed Hijazi, a U.S. citizen and four suspected Yemeni terrorists. All six were killed in the strike.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Targeted Killings: The Death of Anwar al-Awlaki|url=https://www.cfr.org/blog/targeted-killings-death-anwar-al-awlaki|access-date=2021-01-13|website=Council on Foreign Relations|language=en}}</ref>

On 29 September 2004, a Yemeni judge sentenced Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri and Jamal al-Badawi to death for their roles in the bombing. Al-Nashiri, believed to be the operation's mastermind, was detained by the United States at [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp|Guantanamo Bay]].<ref name="odni14">[http://www.odni.gov/announcements/content/DetaineeBiographies.pdf Biographies of 14 detainees] {{Webarchive|url=https://swap.stanford.edu/20091119181208/http://www.odni.gov/announcements/content/DetaineeBiographies.pdf |date=19 November 2009}}, [[Director of National Intelligence#Office of the Director of National Intelligence|Office of the Director of National Intelligence]].</ref>

In October 2004 the Navy consolidated the forces it deploys for anti-terrorism and force protection under a single command at NAB Little Creek. The new Maritime Force Protection Command (MARFPCOM) was activated to oversee the administration and training of the expeditionary units the Navy deploys overseas to protect ships, aircraft and bases from terrorist attack. MARFPCOM aligned four existing components: the Mobile Security Forces, [[Naval Coastal Warfare (United States)|Naval Coastal Warfare]], [[Explosive ordnance disposal (United States Navy)|Explosive Ordnance Disposal]] (EOD), and [[Navy diver (United States Navy)|Expeditionary Mobile Diving and Salvage Forces]].<ref>[http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=15309 "Maritime Force Protection Command to Activate Oct. 1."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070813080126/http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=15309 |date=13 August 2007 }} United States Navy News. 27 September 2004.</ref>

On 3 February 2006, 23 suspected or convicted Al-Qaeda members escaped from jail in Yemen. This number included 13 who were convicted of the bombings of ''Cole'' and the French tanker [[Maritime Jewel|MV ''Limburg'']] in 2002. Among those who reportedly escaped was Al-Badawi. Al-Qaeda's Yemeni number two Abu Assem al-Ahdal may also have escaped.<ref name=Bbc>{{Cite news |date= 4 February 2006 |title=Hunt on for Yemeni jailbreakers |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4682214.stm |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=4 March 2007}}</ref>

On 17 October 2007, al-Badawi surrendered to Yemeni authorities as part of an agreement with Al-Qaeda militants. Following his surrender, Yemeni authorities released him in return for a pledge not to engage in any violent or Al-Qaeda-related activity, despite a [[United States dollar|US$]]5 million reward for his capture. Two other escapees remained at large.<ref>[[Agence France-Presse]]. [http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22600364-23109,00.html "Top al-Qaeda suspect turns himself in"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071219111054/http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22600364-23109,00.html |date=19 December 2007 }}. 17 October 2007.</ref><ref>Whitlock, Craig, "Probe of USS Cole Bombing Unravels", ''[[The Washington Post]]'', 4 May 2008, p. 1.</ref>

In June 2008 the United States charged Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri with planning and conducting the attack. The United States planned to seek the death penalty in his case.<ref name="Roberts, John 2008" /> On 5 February 2009, the United States dropped all charges against al-Nashiri "without prejudice" to comply with President Obama's order to shut down the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, but reserved the right to file charges at a later date.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN25491168 |title=U.S. drops Guantanamo charges per Obama order |work=[[Reuters]] |access-date=6 February 2009 |date=6 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209093839/https://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN25491168 |archive-date=9 February 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2009, U.S. federal judge [[Kimba Wood]] released $13.4 million in frozen assets belonging to Sudan, to be awarded to 33 spouses, parents, and children of the sailors killed in the attack. The money was awarded based on the 2002 [[Terrorism Risk Insurance Act]] and spearheaded by Miami Attorney Andrew C. Hall.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Morrissey |first1=Siobhan |title=The Anti-Terror Attorney: Andrew Hall's Life Is a Story of Survival Against Tyranny|journal=ABA Journal|date=1 September 2011|url=http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/the_anti-terror_attorney_andrew_halls_life_is_a_story_of_survival_against/}}</ref> Previously, the court had found Sudan culpable in facilitating the attack on the destroyer. John Clodfelter, father of Kenneth Clodfelter who was killed in the bombing, said; "It's about time something was done. It's taken so much more time than we thought it should take."<ref>''[[The Virginian-Pilot]]'', "U.S. Judge Releases $13.4M For Cole Victims' Families", 22 April 2009.</ref>

On 1 January 2019 Jamal al-Badawi, an Al-Qaeda militant behind the attack, died in a U.S. air strike, [[President Donald Trump]] confirmed. U.S. defense officials said a "precision strike" was carried out east of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-46763048|title=USS Cole bomber Jamal al-Badawi targeted in Yemen air strike|publisher=bbc.com|date=4 January 2019|access-date=27 June 2022}}</ref>

Another lawsuit against Sudan was filed in the [[United States District Court for the District of Columbia]] in 2010 by 15 of the ''Cole'' sailors and three spouses, seeking damages from the country for knowingly supporting the terrorists that struck the ship. While the court action had been served to the Sudan embassy in Washington D.C., no representative of Sudan replied to the case or appeared at the hearing. A default judgement was awarded to the sailors for more than US$314 million in 2012. In the process of serving the necessary paperwork and actions to obtain the monetary damages from Sudan within the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit]], representatives of Sudan challenged the DC District Court ruling, arguing that under the [[Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act]] (FSIA) which allows for private lawsuits to be filed against foreign nations, the original case paperwork was not properly sent to their embassy in Sudan. Lawyers for the sailors argued that rejecting this would require them to rehold the initial trial and re-determine guilt and damages, if any. The Second Circuit upheld that the paperwork was filed appropriately, leading the representatives of Sudan to petition the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] for writ of certiorari on the question of whether the initial paperwork was properly addressed. The Supreme Court accepted the case, ''[[Republic of Sudan v. Harrison]]'' (Docket 16–1094) and took oral arguments on 9 November 2018.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/07/us/politics/sudan-sailors-terror-attack-supreme-court.html | title=A Thought Experiment at the Supreme Court Over How to Sue a Country | first=Adam | last=Liptak | date=7 November 2018 | access-date=9 November 2018 | work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> In March 2019, the Supreme Court vacated the Second Circuit's decision and overturned the award.

The ''Cole'' bombing plays a highly visible role in Navy damage-control training, which begins in boot camp with a pre-graduation Battle Stations event. "The ''Cole'' Scenario", launched in 2007, takes place aboard a realistic destroyer mock-up housed at [[Naval Station Great Lakes]], Illinois. The training focuses on preparing recruits for damage control challenges they may face in the fleet.<ref>McMichael, William H. [http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/10/navy-cole-10-years-later-101110w/ "10 years after Cole bombing, a different Navy"] ''Navy Times'', 11 October 2010.</ref>

On 13 February 2020, the Government of Sudan announced that it had reached an agreement to compensate the families of the USS ''Cole'' victims, a prerequisite for being removed from the [[State Sponsors of Terrorism (U.S. list)|State Sponsors of Terrorism list]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20200213-sudan-says-deal-signed-with-families-of-victims-of-uss-cole-bombing |author=Agence France-Presse |author-link=Agence France-Presse |publisher=[[France 24]] |quote=Sudan said Thursday it has signed a deal with the families of the victims of the 2000 bombing of the USS ''Cole'' in Yemen, meeting a key condition for removing the country from Washington's terrorism blacklist. |date=13 February 2020 |title=Sudan says deal signed with families of victims of USS Cole bombing}}</ref> In its announcement, the Sudanese government reiterated that it was not responsible for the bombing but stated that its goal was to normalize relations with the United States and other countries and to settle historical claims arising from the previous regime.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/world/africa/sudan-bombing-USS-Cole-Yemen.html|title=Sudan Says It Agrees to Compensate Families of U.S.S. Cole Bombing|last=Latif Dahir|first=Abdi|date=13 February 2020|website=The New York Times|access-date=13 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://suna-sd.net/en/single?id=549694|title=Statement on agreement concluded with victims of Cole bombing|date=13 February 2020|website=Sudan News Agency (SUNA)|access-date=13 February 2020|archive-date=13 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213230948/https://suna-sd.net/en/single?id=549694|url-status=dead}}</ref> The bilateral claims agreement was signed on October 30, 2020, under which Sudan agreed to pay $335 million in compensation to resolve the claims brought by U.S. families of the victims of the attack on the USS ''Cole'' (and the victims of the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya).<ref name="2017-2021.state.gov"/>

==Memorial==
[[File:US Navy 111012-N-NW885-024 A wreath is placed at the USS Cole memorial at Naval Station Norfolk during an annual remembrance ceremony.jpg|thumb|A wreath laid by the crew of USS ''Cole'' at the Norfolk Naval Station memorial, 12 October 2001.]]
A memorial to the victims of the attack was dedicated at [[Norfolk Naval Station]] in Virginia on 12 October 2001. It was erected along the shore of [[Willoughby Spit|Willoughby Bay]], and overlooks the channel used by Navy ships transiting to sea.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hamptonroads.com/2008/07/uss-cole-memorial-0 |title=USS Cole Memorial |publisher=Pilot Online|access-date=10 August 2014 }}</ref> Seventeen low-level markers stand for the youthfulness of the sailors, whose lives were cut short. Three tall granite monoliths, each bearing brass plaques, stand for the three colors of the [[American flag]]. A set of brown markers encircling the memorial symbolize the darkness and despair that overcame the ship. In addition, 28 black pine trees were planted to represent the 17 sailors and the 11 children they left behind.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=63224 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812203937/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=63224 |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 August 2014 |title=USS Cole Remembers 'Hero Sailors' Lost During 2000 Attack |newspaper=US Navy News Service Story Number: NNS111012-19 |date=12 October 2001 |access-date=10 August 2014 }}</ref>

The memorial was funded by contributions from thousands of private individuals and businesses to the [[Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society]], which gave the memorial to the Navy. Its design originated as a vision of USS ''Cole'' crew members, who then teamed with Navy architects and the Society to finalize the project.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.public.navy.mil/surflant/ddg67/Pages/Memorial.aspx |title=USS Cole Memorial |publisher=US Navy |access-date=15 July 2012 |archive-date=21 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120721021713/http://www.public.navy.mil/surflant/ddg67/Pages/Memorial.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/id/44664/ |title=Navy Dedicates Cole Memorial Oct. 12 |publisher=U.S. Department of Defense |date=10 October 2001 |access-date=15 July 2012 |author=Rhem, Kathleen T.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stripes.com/01/oct01/ed101301o.html |title=One year later, memorial to fallen USS Cole sailors is dedicated |work=Stripes |access-date=12 October 2009 |author=Jontz, Sandra|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030627105202/http://www.stripes.com/01/oct01/ed101301o.html|archive-date=27 June 2003}}</ref> The ''Cole'' memorial is located about {{convert|500|ft|m}} west of the Naval Station memorial for the [[USS Iowa turret explosion|USS ''Iowa'' turret explosion]]. There is also another memorial marker placed at [[Wisconsin Square]] in the city of Norfolk, near {{USS|Wisconsin|BB-64|6}}.

==See also==
*[[Nasir Ahmad Nasir al-Bahri]]
*[[Bombing of SLNS Sooraya and SLNS Ranasuru]]
*[[List of terrorist incidents, 2000]]
*[[Attacks on the United States]]
{{-}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|USS Cole bombing}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150615203744/http://www.al-bab.com/yemen/cole1.htm Detailed information and timeline]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100302005700/http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=2721 Department of Defense Casualty release]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190531150203/https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/browse-by-topic/ships/modern-ships/uss-cole-updated.html USS Cole (DDG-67) Determined Warrior]
* [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0010/18/se.01.html Transcript of CNN coverage of the USS ''Cole'' memorial service] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604133417/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0010/18/se.01.html |date=4 June 2011 }} held 18 October 2000, at Norfolk, Virginia.
* {{cite news
| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/03/AR2008050302047.html?
| title=Probe of USS ''Cole'' Bombing Unravels: Plotters Freed in Yemen; U.S. Efforts Frustrated
| page=A01
| date=4 May 2008
| author=Whitlock, Craig
| newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]
| access-date=2 August 2009
}}
*{{cite news
| url=http://www.maritimeterrorism.com/2007/12/27/analyzing-the-uss-cole-incident/
| title=Analyzing the USS ''Cole'' Bombing
| date=5 December 2007
| author=Lorenz, Akiva J.
| publisher=[[Maritime Terrorism]]
| access-date=2 August 2009
| archive-date=13 August 2009
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813114426/http://www.maritimeterrorism.com/2007/12/27/analyzing-the-uss-cole-incident/
| url-status=dead
}}
*[http://www.c-span.org/video/?306536-1/qa-kirk-lippold C-SPAN ''Q&A'' interview with Kirk Lippold about his book ''Front Burner: Al Qaeda's Attack on the USS Cole'', 8 July 2012]

<!-- Not terrorism, please don't add terrorism categories. This was a military target. -->
{{Attacks on US Navy ships}}
{{2000 shipwrecks}}
{{Al-Qaeda}}{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole Bombing}}
[[Category:Suicide bombings in 2000]]
[[Category:Attacks in Asia in 2000]]
[[Category:Al-Qaeda attacks]]
[[Category:Islamic terrorism in Yemen]]
[[Category:Islamic terrorist incidents in 2000]]
[[Category:20th century in Aden]]
[[Category:Mass murder in 2000]]
[[Category:2000 in Yemen]]
[[Category:United States Navy in the 20th century]]
[[Category:Politics of Yemen]]
[[Category:Suicide bombings in Yemen]]
[[Category:International maritime incidents]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 2000]]
[[Category:Presidency of Bill Clinton]]
[[Category:Ship bombings]]
[[Category:Gulf of Aden]]
[[Category:Combat incidents]]
[[Category:United States–Yemen relations]]
[[Category:Sudan–United States relations]]
[[Category:Sudan–Yemen relations]]
[[Category:Attacks on United States entities]]
[[Category:October 2000 in Asia]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Aden]]