 Mihdhar remained part of the plot as a muscle hijacker, who would help take over the aircraft.On October 12, 2000, the USS "Cole" was bombed by a small boat laden with explosives.After the bombing, Yemeni Prime Minister Abdul Karim al-Iryani reported that Mihdhar had been one of the key planners of the attack and had been in the country at the time of the attacks.