U.S. Official: Key Al Qaeda Figure Dead

Abu Obeida Al-Masri, Bin Laden Aide, Died Of Natural Causes

(CBS/AP)  Abu Obeida al-Masri, an Egyptian al Qaeda chief believed to be responsible for attacks on U.S. forces in Afghanistan, is dead, a U.S. counterterrorism official said Wednesday.

One official said al-Masri, was linked to the July 7, 2005, attacks against the London transit system.

Al-Masri is believed to have died of hepatitis in late 2007 in Pakistan's lawless tribal area bordering Afghanistan, a second counterterror official said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Al-Masri was a senior operational planner for bin Laden and one of the planners behind the London subway suicide attacks in 2005 and the failed plot to explode U.S.-bound airliners in 2006. Most recently he was working to train suicide bombers in Pakistan, CBS News reports.

Al-Masri planned the disrupted 2006 attacks in which as many as 10 passenger jets bound for the United States were supposed to have been blown up over the Atlantic simultaneously with liquid explosives. British authorities arrested 24 suspects in August 2006 after almost a year's surveillance. The suspects planned to smuggle bombs and detonators disguised as drinks and electronic devices onto the planes in their carryon baggage.

The plot caused the United States and Britian to adopt tougher security measures for airline passengers. The United States limited the amount of liquids and gels that could be carried aboard. The British for a time banned almost all carry-ons.

Al-Masri also is believed to have been behind the successful London transit attacks. Those attacks occurred during the morning rush hour in London, when three bombs exploded simultaneously on the London Underground. A fourth bomb exploded an hour later on a bus. The attack killed 52 and injured 700. Four suicide bombers also died.

Little else is known publicly about al-Masri. The U.S. National Counterterrorism Center does not even list him in its profiles of known and most-wanted terrorists.

The Los Angeles Times reported April 2 that, according to European documents, al-Masri is in his mid-40s. He fought in Bosnia in the early 1990s and was wounded in Chechnya before going to Afghanistan in 2000. He fled into Pakistan in late 2001 with other al Qaeda leaders, including Osama bin Laden.

In Pakistan, army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said he had no information about the death of al-Masri. Several Pakistani intelligence officials contacted by The Associated Press had no immediate comment.

Based in the mountainous Afghan province of Kunar, al-Masri was believed to have been in charge of planning attacks on U.S.-led coalition forces in the volatile east region of the country. Violence in southern and eastern Afghanistan spiked last year, killing about 1,600 people. A surge in suicide attacks, a change of tactics by the militants, caused much of the mayhem. The Pakistani government originally had believed al-Masri was killed a CIA Predator strike in 2006.

[lumberjack65]

until I am able to kick his dead body, I really don''t believe them. the key items here were a govt official said..... yeah right, like I believe them. remember, believe nothing you read and half of what you see

[swwils]

That is right I forgot that dude should have stuck a grenade up his butt,and detonated it,he would be in the golden palace with 70 virgins.He wouldn''t have a butt,or any gentiles though,so that is why he probably just had ***,with another terrorist and caught Hepatitis.

[swwils]

All those terrorist can die of Hepatitis,or any other way,and I wouldn''t lose any sleep.That is how they feel about Americans, I am sure of that.I just don''t understand why with all our technology we can not seem to capture a cave dwelling,mule riding pack of terrorist in Iraq,or Afghanistan,or Pakistan.Especially when a 25 million dollar bounty is on Osama.I would turn him over in a heart beat if I ever came across his path!

[glock4me]

Very disapointing that he didn''t die in an orange jumpsuit behind barbwire, and that he never experienced the joy of being waterboarded.

The article didn''t seem to indicate which kind of hepatitis this idiot had... was it the Tommy Lee kind? If so, it makes me wonder how he contracted the disease. Maybe he beat and tapped some bad burka-wearing a$$.

[bluestardad]

BUSHIT!

[termtex01]

"Of course, it could all be BS. There are no named sources - no consequences for deceit.
Considering all the stories that CBS could run that have good documentation behind them, it is too bad to see them carrying unsourced water for hidden faces over and over.
Posted by CBS_Oliver at 09:17 PM : Apr 09, 2008"

There is a source of some of the information in the article:

"Most recently he was working to train suicide bombers in Pakistan, CBS News reports."

Seeing as how CBS has embedded reporters in nearly all terrorist organizations, are you surprised?

[whatinthewld]

Bin Ladin ought to learn from his buddy, and get all his leadership buddies together and go blow themselves up!
Go do the world a favor!

[whatinthewld]

look what this al Qaeda leader is missing out on. Had he blown himself up with his buddies, he''d be enjoying 70 virgins now. I guess he''s missing out!

[whatinthewld]

You libs blame Bush for everything else. Perhaps he should get credit for this.
if you don''t like america then move to Pakistan or Afghanistan. Their immigration offices are empty and waiting for immigrants who would like to take on their citizenship.
Then I challenge you to mouth the same words you have written here about the leadership in your new home country. If you survive it won''t be your fault. FOOL!

[rhs648]

Good riddance to this trash. I don''t know much about hepatitus. I only hope that his death was a long agonizing and painful death. If only the same would happen to the rest of Al Qaeda leaders and their followers. In fact, let it happen to their families. If there is a hell, let them burn for eternity.

[mainedoggie]

big deal. this administration has been pimping the same garbage about key figures being killed for 8 years now.

These so called leaders being killed elsewhere have nothing to do with Iraq, so why are we there again?

[gce65]

He''s dead once in 2006 (conveniently buried in the last sentence of this story, the error blamed on Pakistan).

Then he dies (AGAIN) of hepatitis in 2007?

Should we be holding our breaths waiting for him to die another 7 times? What is he, a cat?

[mainedoggie]

big deal. this administration has been pimping the same *** about key figures being killed for 8 years now. do you feel any safer you rebuclican jackasses?

[apprxam]

New Cheney/Bush plan? : Weapons of Mass infections

[jerr11]

But where''s Bin Laden?

Remember the Liar-in-Chief?

Wanted Bin Laden - Dead or alive?

What a load of cra*p!

And this Liar-in-Chief says he''s keeping America safe!

[yongamerica]

All of al-Masri''s friends have DIED, DIED DIED!

[j-whitman]

rational_1,,,, Quite frankly there are good reasons why they are virgins, I don''t think he''s going to like what he sees

[j-whitman]

rational_1,,,, I can''t wait to hear McCain or Bush take credit for giving him hepatitis

[rational_1]

Poor Abu, dead of hepatitis because he lived in a cave like the troglodyte he was and wasn''t within a hundred miles of anything sterile. Does he still get his 70 virgins? Ooooh, sorry Abu but I don''t think so. Poor poor disease-ridden Abu, couldn''t even go out in a blaze of glory to get his 70 virgins.

[tylenol6]

Google a new website called "Legistorm". They are telling the dirt on congress and they do not like it
one bit. A must see.