'Our great military has delivered justice': Trump confirms the US have killed an al Qaeda terrorist who helped plot the 2000 USS Cole attack that led to the death of 17 American soldiers
- Trump announced on Sunday that Jamal al-Badawi has been killed in Yemen
- Al-Badawi was targeted during a precision strike on January 1 in the city of Marib
- Had been on the run after escaping prison twice in 2003 and 2006 for attack
- The FBI had placed Badawi on its most wanted list, offering a $5million reward for information leading to his capture
- Al-Qaeda took credit for the 2000 attack, which was seen as an early victory for the terrorist group and its founder Osama Bin Laden
Jamal al-Badawi, one of the conspirators behind the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000, has been killed in Yemen
One of the main plotters behind the bombing of an American military ship that left 17 soldiers dead has been killed, Donald Trump confirmed.
The president took to Twitter on Sunday morning to announce the death of Jamal al-Badawi, one of the conspirators behind the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000.
'Our GREAT MILITARY has delivered justice for the heroes lost and wounded in the cowardly attack on the USS Cole,' Trump tweeted.
'We have just killed the leader of that attack, Jamal al-Badawi. Our work against al Qaeda continues. We will never stop in our fight against Radical Islamic Terrorism!'
US Central Command first revealed on Friday that al-Badawi may have been killed in Yemen during a combined effort by US military and intelligence agencies.
'US forces conducted a precision strike January 1 in the Marib (governorate), Yemen, targeting Jamal al-Badawi, a legacy Al-Qaeda operative in Yemen involved in the USS Cole bombing,' said Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for US Central Command.
Al-Badawi was struck while driving alone in a vehicle, an administration official told CNN.
The US military has assessed that there was no collateral damage.
The president took to Twitter on Sunday morning to announce news of al-Badawi's death
Al-Qaeda took credit for the October 12, 2000 attack, in which a rubber boat loaded with explosives blew up as it rounded the bow of the USS Cole
Al-Qaeda took credit for the October 12, 2000 attack, in which a rubber boat loaded with 500 pounds of explosives blew up as it rounded the bow of the USS Cole.
The guided-missile destroyer had just pulled into the city of Aden in Yemen for a six-hour refueling stop when it was hit.
Seventeen American sailors were killed and 39 were wounded. The two suicide bombers who carried out the attack were also killed.
The bombing was considered an early success for the terror group and its founder Osama Bin Laden.
Abdel Rahim al-Nashiri, the chief suspect behind the bombing, remains in Guantanamo Bay. He has been held there since 2006.
Badawi was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2003 and charged with 50 counts of various terrorism offenses, including murder of US nationals and murder of US military personnel.
US Central Command first revealed on Friday that al-Badawi may have been killed during a precision strike in Yemen
Seventeen American sailors were killed as well as the two perpetrators of the attack that was claimed by Al-Qaeda, in an early success for the terror group and its founder Osama Bin Laden
Apart from his alleged role in the USS Cole attack, in which he was said to have supplied boats and explosives, he was also charged with attempting to attack a US Navy vessel in January 2000 with co-conspirators.
The FBI had placed Badawi on its most wanted list, offering a $5million reward for information leading to his capture.
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According to the agency, he was captured by Yemeni authorities in connection with the attack but escaped from prison in April 2003.
He was recaptured in March 2004, but again escaped in February 2006 after tunneling out of the prison using broomsticks and pieces of a broken fan.
