On 18 March, another suicide bomber attempted to attack a convoy of South Korean investigators and relatives of the victims in Sanaa, though the bombing failed and resulted in no casualties expect for the perpetrator.

[3][4] Shibam, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Yemen for its tall mud-brick buildings built in the 16th century.

[8] While viewing the sunset from the hill, a teenager and a man in his early forties claiming to be his father approached the tourists and began a conversation with them.

[13] An initial report on the attack from the state-sponsored Saba News Agency suggested that the bomber was "tricked into wearing an explosives vest.

[8] A local official initially suggested that the blast could have been due to remnants of dynamite from a mine or a pre-planted bomb, though later confirmed to be an AQAP suicide attack.

The convoy was composed of a team sent by the South Korean government to investigate the bombing, which included two foreign ministry officials and representatives of the national police and intelligence service, as well as relatives of the killed tourists.

[20] The bomber, a 20-year-old student according to his identity card recover at the scene,[6] was waiting by the gates of the al-Dailami Air Base, which shares a runway with the airport.

[23][24] However, the bomber detonated his explosive belt seconds after the convoy had passed resulting in zero harm against the passengers, although the front window of one of the vehicles was shattered.