Statement on the Death of Al Qaida Terrorist Organization Member Ibrahim al-Asiri in a United States Counterterrorism Operation in Yemen

This will confirm for the first time that Ibrahim al-Asiri, a senior Al Qaida bomb maker and terrorist coordinator, was killed 2 years ago in a United States counterterrorism operation in Yemen. 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. 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. Al-Asiri's death significantly handicapped Al Qaida 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.