Tragic Death of Canadian Professor Peter Rowe in Yemen Hostage Crisis

Peter Rowe, a Canadian professor of physics and mathematics, was one of the four hostages killed during a two-hour shootout in Yemen, along with two British women and an Australian man. The incident has left a trail of confusion and tragedy, with questions remaining about which side was responsible for the deaths. Rowe's wife, Claire Marston, survived the ordeal with a shoulder wound and remains in hospital.

Key Takeaways:

• Peter Rowe, a 52-year-old Canadian professor of physics and mathematics, was one of the four hostages killed in a two-hour shootout in Yemen.
• Rowe was a lecturer at Durham University and had a reputation for being unconventional, with a disregard for bureaucracy and a focus on teaching rather than publishing academic papers.
• Rowe was in charge of postgraduate students and took a particular interest in the problems of overseas students, a sensitivity born of his extensive travel experience.
• Rowe was a seasoned traveler, having visited remote parts of Asia and Africa with his wife Claire, and had even hiked up to the Pakistan-Chinese border.
• The couple was due to embark on a 14-day trip to Yemen when the tragedy occurred, following a $3,300 motorcycle trip through Canada in 1997.

Statistics:

• Four hostages were killed in the two-hour shootout in Yemen.
• Two hostages, including Peter Rowe's wife Claire Marston, were injured.
• Peter Rowe earned a science degree from McGill University and a master's degree in science from University of British Columbia.
• Rowe taught math in Ghana in the early 1960s before joining the mathematics department at Durham University in 1964.

Sources:

• The Times newspaper
• Durham University mathematics department
• McGill University
• University of British Columbia
• Statistics Canada (interview with Geoff Rowe's brother)