Al-Shihri,was a former Guantanamo detainee released to Saudi Arabia in 2007 before fleeing to Yemen to join AQAP. He has been reported dead twice before, but each time the terror group denied the reports. (This, incidentally, is the one convenience of fighting a fanatically religious organization, as their obligation to ask their followers to appropriately mourn the deceased outweighs operational secrecy).
Although AQAP's announcement gave no date for the drone strike that killed al-Shihri, Yemeni security officials claimed he died from serious injuries from a strike in November 2012. AQAP's chief theologian, Ibrahim al-Robaish, did say al-Shihri was hit by the drone while speaking on his mobile phone in the province of Saadah, north of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.
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| An undated screen capture of a web video featuring Said al-Shihri, who somehow rose to the #2 position in al-Qa'ida's most dangerous affiliate without knowing to stay off his cell phone. |
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