Magnus Johansson: Gold Coast chef killed in Saudi Arabia terrorist attack in May 2004

A Gold Coast chef was on his way to breakfast when he was shot and killed in a terrorist attack which shocked Australia and left his family devastated. HIS TRAGIC STORY

Ashmore resident Magnus Johansson was on his way to breakfast when he was killed in a terrorist attack which shocked the world.

The Swedish-born chef was working in Saudi Arabia at the time in a high-paying job to build up a nest egg for his family when the attack occurred 20 years ago this week at the Oasis resort in Al-Khobar.
It was May 2004 and the Gold Coast had been repeatedly touched by tragedy during the early years of the global War on Terror which spun out of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US.

Chef Magnus Johansson

From the initial attack itself to the devastating tragedy of the October 2002 Bali Terrorist attacks, the devastating impact of terrorist was all-too-familiar to locals.

Mr Johanson had lived in the Gold Coast for many years and had a long stint as a chef at the old ANA Hotel in the 1980s and 1990s.

He met his wife Sheree and they married in 1991, before he spent time working in Vietnam.

He had spent much of the early 2000s working in the highly lucrative Middle East while returning to the city and his wife frequently.

The attack, perpetrated by Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda network, occurred on May 29, 2004 when members of the group, laid siege to the oil-rich city, killing 22 people.

Wedding photo of Sherree and Magnus Johansson

Mr Johansson had been crossing the road to get a coffee and danish at the moment he was shot and killed.

Mr Johansson’s brother-in-law, Paul Talbert, told media at the time that the late chef had been just a handful of weeks away from returning home.

`Sheree and Magnus had bought a home at Ashmore (on the Gold Coast) and they wanted to secure their future,’’ Mr Talbert said at the time.

``Magnus was aware of the risks of working in Saudi Arabia and did not want to expose Sheree to those risks.

A TV grab taken from official Saudi television shows a burnt car at one of the sites of triple attacks targeting oil facilities by suspected Islamist militants in the eastern oil city of al-Khobar 29 May 2004

``It was very hard for them but Magnus decided to go over on his own. He came back twice a year for four weeks to visit her.

``He was meant to be coming home on June 27 for his next visit and to celebrate Sheree’s birthday.’’

Saudi commandos put down the siege within 25 hours.

Mrs Johansson had woken up at 5.30am to make her regular call to her husband but it never connected.

Within 12 hours she was contacted by Foreign Affairs Department officials who told her to expect the worst.

Saudi special forces take position in front of the Oasis housing compound, Picture: AFP Bilal Qabalan

Initially it was reported that Mr Johansson’s throat had been slit but the revelation he had been shot gave his family some relief.

“That is providing some solace to Sherree … that he probably went quickly,’’ he said.

``What this tragedy has done is bring it home to Australians that we, as a country, are not immune to this sort of thing. It is a terrible waste of lives.

``Sherree is a spiritual person and she has Magnus and the family can have his body. That is her gift to them.’’

Wreckage of a car that was destroyed during the attack.

The Bulletin’s editorial at the time mourned the loss of Mr Johansson.

“Safety, something we once took for granted, has been compromised by terrorism, by those whose philosophies we comprehend with difficulty, if at all,” it read.

“The Gold Coast is changing rapidly but the world, too, is a different place today. While we should not be dictated to by terrorists, the reality is that it is best to exercise caution when choosing travel destinations.”

Paul Talbert, brother-in-law of Gold Coast resident and chef Magnus Johansson who was killed in Saudi Arabia. Picture: Sarah Marshall

Mr Johansson’s body was returned to Australia before it was flown back to his native Sweden for burial.

“I think we were complacent about the dangers,’’ his wife said at the time.

“`Saudi Arabia was said to be a nice, safe place for overseas workers.

“There didn’t seem to be a problem, but obviously there was.”