The USS Cole bombing was a suicide attack against the United States Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG-67)  on 12 October 2000, while it was harbored and being refueled in the Yemeni port of Aden. 17 American sailors were killed, and 39 were injured. This event was the deadliest attack against a United States Naval vessel since 1987.

The terrorist organization 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 American Navy has reconsidered their rules of engagement in response to this attack.