US: Top al-Qaeda bomb maker killed in 2017 Yemen strike

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed Thursday a senior al-Qaeda bomb maker and terrorist coordinator was killed two years ago in a counterterrorism operation in Yemen.

"[Ibrahim] Al-Asiri built explosive devices that were used in the failed Christmas Day 2009 underwear bomb attack and the disrupted printer cartridge bomb plot in 2010," Trump said in a White House statement. "He also built an explosive device intended to be used against a passenger aircraft in 2012, and the device used in the attempted assassination of the former Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.”

The president said al-Asiri’s death "significantly handicapped" al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

"The United States will continue to hunt down terrorists like al-Asiri until they no longer pose a threat to our great Nation," he concluded.

Last year, U.S. officials said they were confident al-Asiri had been killed during the strike without having conclusive evidence.

The U.S administration had long sought al-Asiri, who made a name for himself because of his ability to create hard-to-detect bombs.