JIBLA,Yemen (FBW)-Three Americans were killed and another wounded Monday, Dec. 30, when a lone gunman attacked a Baptist hospital in Jibla, Yemen, according to a news release from the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board.

Hospital administrator William E. Koehn, purchasing agent Kathleen A. Gariety and physician Martha C. Myers were killed and pharmacist Donald W. Caswell was injured in the early morning attack.

The Americans were involved in a meeting at the beginning of the work day at the hospital. The gunman, who according to a report in USA Today, had links to Osama bin Laden's al-Queda network, burst into the room and opened fire after gaining entry to the hospital by cradling his hidden gun like a baby.

Koehn, Gariety and Myers were killed immediately. The gunman reportedly then moved to another room, where he wounded Caswell. He also aimed his gun at a Filipino hospital employee, but the weapon did not fire.

The 30-year-old man, identified in later reports as Abed Abdul Razak Kamel, surrendered to hospital security personnel and was taken into custody by Yemeni authorities.

Koehn, 60, of Arlington, Texas, had planned to retire in October 2003 after 28 years of service. Gariety, 53, was from Wauwatosa, Wisc. Myers, 57, was from Montgomery, Ala.

Caswell, 49, is from Levelland, Texas. Caswell was taken to surgery, where two bullets were removed. He is expected to recover from his injuries.

All four served at the hospital as representatives of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board.

As investigators continued to probe into the high-profile attacks, a Jan. 3 New York Times article reported the killer might be linked to a large cell of Islamic militants planning to strike at other foreigners as well as secular-minded politicians.

The Times article reported the arrest of as many as 30 Islamic militants who are said to be targeting journalists, Westerners in Yemen and the heads of several political parties. Yemen is said to be fertile recruiting ground for al-Qaida.

A Jan. 2 report from the Associated Press said Kamel and Ali al-Jarallah, another suspect in the missionary slayings, confessed in a government newspaper that they had visited the Jibla hospital several times in the past weeks to plan the attack.

CNN reported Kamel confessed to being a member of the Islamic Jihad group and said he shot the workers "to cleanse his religion and get closer to Allah."

IMB officials, in a news release, said they are devastated, but not deterred, by the events in Yemen.

"We are moving quickly to assist family members," said IMB spokesman Larry Cox. "We're grateful God spared the lives of others and pray that His spirit will meet the needs of everyone touched by this crisis."

As news of the attack spread, the streets outside were filled with local residents, said Kaye Rock, another Southern Baptist worker at the hospital.

"People here loved these people so much," Rock said. "Yesterday Bill gave sacks of wheat and sugar to widows and divorced women in city. He's been doing that almost every month with relief donations we receive.

"The people here who love us are decimated even more than we are, because they don't see the big picture," she said. "But the Bible says 'Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the blood of his saints.' The church is built on the blood of the martyrs, and any of those three people would have gladly given their lives for that."

The murders won't deter Americans at the hospital from their ministry, Rock said.

"We can't let someone with a gun make us afraid to do what God wants us to do. We're asking people to pray that these deaths will not be a senseless waste, but that God will complete all He has intended here and that He will be glorified."

The Southern Baptist International Mission Board has operated Jibla Baptist Hospital, located about 120 miles south of Yemen's capital, Sanaa, for 35 years. More than 40,000 patients a year are treated at the facility, which is on property owned by the Yemeni government. The hospital provides free medical care and medicine to those who cannot afford it. It also has responded to relief needs during earthquakes and famine.

"Our personnel, as Americans and Christians, are well aware of the risks of living and serving in a place like Yemen," said Jerry Rankin, International Mission Board president. "Yet their love of the Yemeni people and obedience to a conviction of God's leadership has been expressed in a willingness to take that risk - and to give of their lives. Our hearts go out to their families, colleagues and local friends, who join us in grieving this tragic loss."

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For related coverage, see Missionary Martyrs Archive