U.S. State Department designates al-Qaeda operative Othman Al-Ghamdi

U.S. State Department designates al-Qaeda operative Othman Al-Ghamdi

2011-06-17 10:44:43 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday designated Othman al-Ghamdi, an operative with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), as a terrorist.

The designation was made under Executive Order 13224 which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism. AQAP was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in January 2010.

Othman al-Ghamdi is believed to be a member of the Yemen-based AQAP leadership. In May 2010, he appeared in a video in which he was identified publicly as AQAP's operational commander.

In the same video he appears alongside AQAP's military commander Qasim al-Rimi and AQAP operative Fahd al-Quso, who is wanted for his role in the October 12, 2000, USS Cole bombing in which 17 U.S. sailors were killed and 39 were injured.

According to the U.S. State Department, al-Ghamdi has been involved in raising funds for AQAP's operations and activities in Yemen. He has also worked with other fellow members to plan and stockpile weapons for future terrorist attacks.

Also on Thursday, the United Nations 1267 Committee listed al-Ghamdi on its Consolidated List, which will require all UN Member States to implement an assets freeze, a travel ban, and an arms embargo against him.

AQAP is based primarily in the tribal areas outside of the capital city Sanaa, which remain outside the control of the Yemeni government. The terrorist organization has orchestrated high-profile attacks since 2009.

Most notably, AQAP sent Nigerian-born Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who attempted to detonate an explosive device aboard a Northwest Airlines flight on December 25, 2009. This was the first attempted U.S. homeland attack by an al-Qaeda affiliate since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

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