U.S. State Department designates al-Qaeda bomb maker Ibrahim Hassan Tali Al-Asiri

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U.S. State Department designates al-Qaeda bomb maker Ibrahim Hassan Tali Al-Asiri

2011-03-25 00:34:48 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday announced the designation of Ibrahim Hassan Tali al-Asiri, an al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) operative and bomb maker, as terrorist.

The designation was made under the E.O. 13224 which targets terrorists and their supporters. This action will block all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction in which al-Asiri has an interest and prohibiting all transactions by U.S. persons with him.

Al-Asiri serves as the AQAP terrorist organization's primary bomb maker, an organization which was previously designated by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization.

In August 2009, the AQAP bomb maker recruited his younger brother as a suicide bomber in the failed assassination attempt of Saudi Prince Muhammed bin Nayif. Al-Asiri gained particular notoriety due to the brutality, novelty and sophistication of the failed plot.

Al-Asiri is credited with designing the remotely detonated device, which contained 1 pound (0.453 kilograms) of explosives concealed inside his brother's body. Interpol has published an Orange Notice warning the public about the threat posed by him.

Prior to joining AQAP, he was part of an al-Qaeda terrorist cell in Saudi Arabia and was in charge of planning bombings at oil facilities. Al-Asiri is currently wanted by Saudi Arabia authorities.

AQAP is an al-Qaeda cell based in Yemen. Since 2009, it has perpetrated high-profile attacks outside of Yemen. The most notable case was the attempted detonation of an explosive device aboard a Northwest Airlines flight on 25 December 2009.

Nigerian-born Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was detained before the suicide bombing, the first U.S. homeland attack by an al-Qaeda affiliate since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.

The leader of AQAP is dual U.S.-Yemeni citizen and radical ideologue Anwar al-Aulaqi who was named a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the United States. AQAP is based primarily in the tribal areas outside of Sanaa, which remain outside the control of the Yemeni government.

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