Ibrahim Al-Asiri, Bomb-Maker Linked To 2009 Christmas Day Plot, Likely Killed In Yemen Drone Strike: Officials

WASHINGTON -- U.S. intelligence indicates that the top al-Qaida bomb-maker in Yemen also died in the drone strike that killed radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, two U.S. officials said Friday.

Ibrahim al-Asiri is the bomb-maker linked to the bomb hidden in the underwear of a Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a plane over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009.

The FBI pulled al-Asiri's fingerprint off that bomb. Authorities also believe he built the bombs that al-Qaida slipped into printers and shipped to the U.S. last year in a nearly catastrophic attack.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because al-Asiri's death has not officially been confirmed.

Al-Asiri's death would make the attack perhaps the most successful single drone strike ever. Along with al-Awlaki, the attack also killed Samir Khan, the editor of the al-Qaida propaganda magazine Inspire.

Both Khan and al-Awlaki are U.S. citizens. Al-Awlaki was the target of the attack.

Christopher Boucek, a scholar who studies Yemen and al-Qaida, said al-Asiri was so important to the organization that his death would "overshadow the news of al-Awlaki and Samir Khan."

Comments

[Ferrariqx]

12:05 PM on 10/02/2011

The USA assault led by President Obama is cutting through the Al Qaeda leadership like a hot knife through butter!

NEXT!

[Ferrariqx]

03:19 AM on 10/02/2011

Isn't it interesting that Al Qaeda leadership is being eliminated on a much more frequent basis since Barack Obama took office as President of the United States?

NEXT!

[orange county man]

11:10 PM on 10/01/2011

Notice how we never hear that Obama is really a Muslim from the Right Wingers any more? Hmmm.

[colah]

09:49 PM on 10/01/2011

Our country & the world is a safer place with Barack Obama as President.

[orange county man]

11:11 PM on 10/01/2011

Yes and also because W is no longer the Commander in Chief.

[zonel]

06:51 PM on 10/01/2011

Many of you seem to think that the President decided to make this a targeted killing on a minimal amount of information. You have to realize that not only did the President sign off on this but because of Alwaki's American citizenship, the National Security Council also signed off on it. I know we would like to be supplied with all the information that the government has but it is not realistic to let the general public in on all the information that they have.

[dutch163]

05:56 PM on 10/01/2011

wondering where we would be if GW had just employed drone attacks and Navy seal strikes instead of 2 wars?

[IfIonlyknew]

09:16 PM on 10/01/2011

George's wars were not about catching the bad guys.They were all about spending every penny
our country had chasing ghosts and creating goblins.

[dutch163]

07:13 AM on 10/02/2011

I am afraid you are right...and I always say "who MADE money?"..Halliburton, et al...

[ivanivonovich]

05:56 PM on 10/01/2011

In some cases a preemptive strike is what is needed to even the playing field. Since no terrorist is going to come out & announce that they are going to bomb tis location or that place before it happens. One must assume that our country has to do what is necessary to get the job done. To sit in another country & proclaim that you are or think that Americans should be killed just because we are Americans, then you should now know we are watching for you. You can run, but you cannot hide. We own the night...Personally I think we didn't use the right explosives, or enough of what we did use. Nuke 'em all. Leave no trace. I don't care if you don't like the U.S.A. or Americans. Just don"t espouse the indiscriminate killing of anyone for whom they are. I happen to have had the misfortune / fortune to have been born in the U.S.A. Should that make me a target of your hatred ? I guess I could go to another country, but which one would want me ? Remember I'm an American...

[dar325]

05:56 PM on 10/01/2011

Good f'in job USA. I'm proud to be an American!!

[mastheader1]

05:14 PM on 10/01/2011

These people that dont think our President should get any credit ,have obviously never been in the military , the first things you learn in boot camp is the chain of command ,from pvt up to the commander in chief which is the president of the US. unless they have rewriten it , When it comes to Targeting people ,sending troops ect, its an executive order given only by the commanding office the President I would say the naysayers have no creditabilty and should keep their day job .

[shellsangels]

05:43 PM on 10/01/2011

Absolutely correct! Fanned

[dutch163]

05:58 PM on 10/01/2011

well said..and those in the military will know better than those who were not

[hungryaardvark]

04:55 PM on 10/01/2011

Linked? Connections to? Associated with?

Great terms to base an assassination on.

Next they will be saying that he was "favorited by...," "fanned by...," friended by..., "liked by..."

Since the US govt has total access to everything on every phone and computer and fax in the world, the notion of "links" is as asinine as one can get to use as the basis for any form of action without charges being filed or a trial held. As someone who voted for Obama, I am appalled by his imperial presidency that deals out arbitrary assassinations like candy.

Would anyone accept a cop arresting a person based on unspecified "links" to an alleged criminal?

I would hope not.

But in the new fascist America, it seems as though some would be quite pleased with that.

[ligligl]

04:55 PM on 10/01/2011

"Linked" is not evidence for the death penalty...

[eyeforeye42]

04:55 PM on 10/01/2011

As they proclaim in their world, it is the will of Al lah. Nothing happens unless He permits it. Thank you!

[mclown69]

04:51 PM on 10/01/2011

Since Obama has done what Bush never could or wanted to do Republicans are now defending the terrorists! Who would of imagined that the 1st black president would push the tbags over the edge to the side of Al-Qaeda! I guess he was just a too much on their bigoted brains!!

[AllenD]

05:34 PM on 10/01/2011

Yup. I thought it was shocking to see the righttards have Gaddafi's back. Now it looks like they all have that dreaded "pre-9-11 mindset." Then they will turn around and try to keep up the old myth that Republicans are the only ones who can "keep us safe. Yeah right, there are 3,000 victims of an attack on a Republican's watch that beg to differ.

[mikedavid1]

04:24 PM on 10/01/2011

Good riddance, couldn't have happened to a more deserving creature...and for those on the ACLU board (and anyone else), who feels he should have been brought into NYC for a trial as an American citizen...I say fine, the next time the CIA locates an American terrorist over there, we will supply them with a rifle and parachute so they can bring him in.....oh...you want our soldiers to risk THEIR lives to do it?....yes, it is nice to sit behind a desk and send someone else out to make your point.

[Guy Fratianni]

04:11 PM on 10/01/2011

Well finally our intel groups are doing the jobs they should have been doing before 9/11

[hungryaardvark]

04:57 PM on 10/01/2011

Every American everywhere now has a target on his forehead because of this stuff. If the goal is to make the world unsafe for Americans, it's a great plan that will surely be a success.

[eaglespark]

07:55 PM on 10/01/2011

"Every American everywhere now has a target on his forehead because of this stuff"

That was true before today, actually. It was also true 10 years ago when Al-Qaida bombed New York and back in 1996 when Bin Laden issued his famous Fatwah as well. Did you somehow miss the "Declaration of War Against the Americans"?

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/terrorism/international/fatwa_1996.html

[7voiceofreason7]

12:16 AM on 10/02/2011

You are working up some fine hysteria there.

If this had been an ambush on some terrorists in Buffalo or Boston, or Paris or Madrid, anyplace where there is a real rule of law, where the police can be relied upon to conduct a real arrest, then yes, you would have an issue.

But this guy had deliberately put himself outside the reach of traditional policing. He was a true clear and present danger. He had repeatedly confessed to his crimes.

He got due process, just as much as he made himself accessible to.

[dutch163]

05:59 PM on 10/01/2011

different commander in chief...see post by military personnel