Al-Qaida chief Abu Obaidah al-Masri believed to have died
Wednesday, 09 Apr 2008 18:25
Abu Obaidah al-Masri is believed to have planned attack in Afghanistan
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Abu Obaidah al-Masri, a senior al-Qaida military chief, has died, US intelligence sources have claimed.
Mr Masri is believed to have been a senior planner of al-Qaida's attacks in Afghanistan and is linked to the 2005 London bombings.
"We have reason to believe that Abu Obaidah al-Masri is dead," a US counter-terrorism official said.
It is understood that he died of hepatitis, with a US official telling the AP news agency that he passed away "within the last several months".
Mr Masri was such a secretive figure within al-Qaida that his real name was never made public, instead Abu Obaidah al-Masri means "Father of Obaidah the Egyptian".
He is believed to have been a key mastermind behind al-Qaida attacks on coalition troops in eastern Afghanistan.
Reports claim that he was the architect of August 2006's alleged conspiracy to blow-up passenger aircraft flying from London to major US cities.