The New York Times quoted intelligence officials as saying that a second al Qaeda commander had been killed in August by Israeli operatives in Iran.
Abdullah Ahmad Abdullah, No Mu de Muqer Abu Mohammed Al Masri went on to say that he was shot dead by two men who came on a motorcycle in Tehran. He is accused of aiding and abetting the 1998 bombings of two US embassies in Africa.
Masri was seen as the successor to Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is believed to be al-Qa’eda’s current leader.
It is unclear what the US role was in killing the Egyptian-born militant on August 7, the anniversary of the embassy attacks, and NYT said US officials were monitoring Masri and other al-Qaeda. Acting on Iran Years.
An American official, who spoke to Reuters anonymously, declined to confirm any details in the NYT story or to say if there was any US involvement. The White House National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Times reports that Masri, the widow of Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza bin Laden, was killed along with her daughter.
Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden planned 9/11 attacks on US Killed in an American attack In 2011 in Pakistan.
Masri has been in “custody” of Iran since 2003, but has lived freely in Tehran’s upper class suburbs since 2015, citing unnamed U.S. intelligence officials, the NYT said.
U.S. counterterrorism officials believe Iran may have allowed him to live there to carry out operations against US targets, an American enemy, the NYT said.
It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. Although it has lost senior leaders in almost two decades since the attacks on New York and Washington, it has maintained active links from the Middle East to Afghanistan and West Africa.
With Reuters
