Yemen: Pirates Likely Behind Tanker Attack

A vessel fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a Japanese oil tanker 270 miles off the coast of Yemen on April 21. While an attack against a ship off the coast of Yemen immediately brings to mind the October 2000 attack against the USS Cole or the October 2002 bombing of the French tanker Limburg, the method of attack in this incident indicates it was likely an attempt at piracy rather than a serious jihadist attack.