Trump confirms top al-Qaeda bomb maker has been KILLED in Yemen

Top al-Qaeda bomb maker behind failed 2009 plot to blow up US-bound commercial airliner was killed two years ago in counter-terrorism operation in Yemen, Trump confirms

  • President Trump has confirmed al-Qaeda’s top bomb-maker, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, is dead
  • The terrorist was killed in a 2017 counter-terrorism operation conducted by the US in Yemen
  • al-Asiri, who was born in Saudi Arabia, was the brains behind the failed ‘Underwear Bomber’ attack of 2009
  • During that attempted attack, a  Nigerian man tried to detonate a bomb in his underwear while on board a commercial flight from Amsterdam to Detroit
  • Trump said Thursday that al-Asiri’s death has significantly handicapped al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

U.S. President Donald Trump has  confirmed that al Qaeda’s top bomb-maker, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri  has been killed

Donald Trump has confirmed that al Qaeda’s top bomb-maker was killed in a a 2017 US counter-terrorism operation in Yemen. 

Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri was long wanted by American authorities for being the mastermind behind the failed 2009 plot to blow up a US- bound airplane. 

In a statement released by the White House on Thursday, the Commander-in-chief called al-Asiri’s death a victory in America’s long fight against terrorism.  

‘The United States will continue to hunt down terrorists like al-Asiri until they no longer pose a threat to our great Nation,’ Trump stated. 

The President did not reveal details of the operation which took out al-Asiri, nor did he explain why he has now chosen to make the news public.  

US officials said last year they were confident al-Asiri had been killed but others had said at the time that the evidence was not conclusive.  

President Donald Trump announced the news in a statement on Thursday

Trump says the death of al-Asiri has significantly handicapped al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. 

The noted terrorist was a Saudi-born militant with al Qaeda’s Yemen branch, and  was known for his ability to create hard-to-detect bombs. 

Nigerian man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, is serving multiple life sentences in prison for trying to set off the bomb in his underwear  on the US- bound flight

Nigerian man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, is serving multiple life sentences in prison for trying to set off the bomb in his underwear  on the US- bound flight 

According to CNN, al-Asiri perfected miniaturized bombs with no metal content, meaning that they could easily go undetected during airport security screenings. 

al-Asiri’s activities kept airports on tenterhooks for edge for yars, and at times forced the suspension of flights across the Atlantic, AFP reports. 

al-Asiri is most notorious for being the mastermind behind the attempted Christmas Day 2009 bombing of a passenger jet flying from Amsterdam to Detroit.  

On that flight, Nigerian-born Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to detonate an explosive device concealed  in his underwear. 

However, the bomb failed to explode and Abdulmutallab was tackled to the ground by a fellow passenger. 

He is serving multiple life sentences in Colorado’s supermax prison, ADX Florence.  

Bomber shorts: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab wore this underwear outfitted with explosives for three weeks before the failed bomb attempt on Christmas Day 2009

Bomber shorts: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab wore this underwear outfitted with explosives for three weeks before the failed bomb attempt on Christmas Day 2009

The Christmas day plot

In 2010, less than a year later, al-Asiri was linked to another foiled bomb plot against the United States. 

Investigators discovered printer cartridges packed with PETN and sent by an international courier with Chicago-area synagogues listed as the destination.

The explosive-rigged packages – believed powerful enough to bring down a plane – were pulled off airplanes in England and the United Arab Emirates.

Al-Asiri then became a major focus of America’s anti-terrorism efforts.

In March 2011, Washington officially designated him as a wanted terrorist, and confirmed that he was the primary bombmaker for al-Qaeda.   

He is also believed to have built an explosive device intended to be used against a passenger aircraft in 2012.  

Al-Asiri was born in 1982 in Saudi Arabia to a military family and has been accused of recruiting his younger brother, Abdulla, as a suicide bomber for a failed 2009 attack on Prince Mohammed bin Nayef of Saudi Arabia. 

Trump said Thursday al- Asiti was killed in a 2017 US counter-terrorism operation in Yemen

Trump said Thursday al- Asiti was killed in a 2017 US counter-terrorism operation in Yemen

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk