US embassy cable - 03SANAA2338

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANAA 002338 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2013 
TAGS: PTER, ASEC, YM, COUNTER TERRORISM, ENERGY, DOMESTIC POLITICS 
SUBJECT: ATTACK ON HUNT PIPELINE: FURTHER 
INFORMATION/ANALYSIS 
 
REF: SANAA 02336 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Edmund J.Hull, Reasons 1.5(b and d) 
 
1. (C) Hunt Oil director Karim Abuhamad provided Ambassador 
September 15 further information and his assessment of recent 
attack on Hunt Oil pipeline (reftel).  Abuhamad who has long 
experience in Yemen and with the pipeline, noted the attack 
was extremely sophisticated in that the saboteurs picked the 
point of greatest vulnerability, i.e., the lowest point in 
the region.  This location meant the pipeline was under 
maximum pressure at the point of attack and Hunt repair teams 
required a prolonged period to decrease the pipeline pressure 
to permit repairs. The charge itself was buried eight feet 
underground and represented considerable effort on the part 
of the saboteurs. 
 
2. (C) Abuhamad believes saboteurs were from the Zayidi clan 
of the Jahm tribe.  He noted that the Yemeni government has 
recently detained significant numbers of this clan as a 
result of altercations between security forces and the clan 
in Sana'a.  The Zayidi are using this attack to embarrass 
President Saleh, Abuhamad said, and further attacks are 
expected by Hunt.  Three individuals have been detained as 
suspects, but Abuhamad did not know if they were involved in 
the attack. 
 
3. (C) COMMENT:  The Zayidi clan have embarrassed President 
Saleh previously, for example by kidnapping a German national 
in December 2001 while President Saleh was visiting Berlin. 
HULL