UPDATE 1 -- al-Qaeda leader, 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings suspect believed killed in Somalia

2011-06-11 19:59:22 GMT+7 (ICT)

MOGADISHU (BNO NEWS) -- The presumed leader of al-Qaeda in East Africa and a key suspect in the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings is believed to have been killed in Mogadishu this week, Kenyan media reported on Saturday.

Fazul Abdullah Mohammed is believed to have been the head of al-Qaeda in East Africa since 2009 and was previously indicted in New York for his alleged involvement in the bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, on August 7, 1998. The attacks left hundreds of people killed and thousands more injured.

According to Kenyan police commissioner Methew Iteere, Mohammed was killed on Wednesday by Somali government forces in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. "[Transitional Federal Government (TFG)] forces have confirmed they gunned him down at a roadblock on Wednesday," Iteere told the Daily Nation newspaper.

Other Kenyan media such as the Kenya Television Network (KTN) also reported Mohammed's death, but Kenya's The Standard newspaper noted that police were still conducting DNA tests to confirm with certainty that Mohammed is the person who was shot and killed on Wednesday.

A spokesman for the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C. could not immediately comment or confirm the report. "I don't have anything for you right now," he said.

Mohammed is on the list of the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists and the U.S. government has put a $5 million reward for information leading directly to his apprehension or conviction. "Mohammed likes to wear baseball caps and tends to dress casually. He is very good with computers," his FBI poster reads.

On May 1, U.S. forces killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden during a secret operation in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad. It was considered a major blow to the organization, which is also behind the attacks of September 11, 2011 which left nearly 3,000 people killed.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-06-11

I heard the appointed new head of Al Qaeda got snuffed out by a drone last week. Doesn't sound like the same dude who just ate it in this article.

All in all, it's a rough time to be an Al Qaeda leader. If I was a cartoonists, I'd draw a picture of a drone bomb with a smiling face on its end. The dialog bubble would say, "Ok, Al Qaeda, go ahead and pick another sucker to be your leader. I'm ready when you are!"

I think this article is talking about the local leader of AQ in East Africa, not the head of AQ worldwide.

The recovery of info from the scene of the Bin Laden resort, at first glance , seem to have produced results. Might just be coincidence that a few of these guys have been sent to their maker, since then.