Thaindian News

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) — An Arab newspaper on Thursday reported that top al-Qaeda suspect Fahd Mohammed Ahmed al-Quso is alive in Yemen, despite earlier media reports which said he had been killed in a U.S. drone attack.

Al-Quso, 36, is the United States’ third most wanted terror suspect and was indicted over his alleged role in the October 12, 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen that left 17 sailors killed and injured dozens more.

Earlier this year, reports emerged citing intelligence officials that al-Quso had been killed on September 8 in a U.S. drone attack in Pakistan’s North Waziristan. Al-Qaeda never confirmed the death, and neither did the U.S. or Pakistani governments.

On Thursday, the Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat said one of its reporters had met with al-Quso in the mountainous Shabwa governorate in south-east Yemen. The paper published a photo made during the interview as evidence and showed a man who closely resembled al-Quso, although it was not possible to verify the authenticity of the picture.

Asharq Al-Awsat reported that al-Quso expressed his surprise at reports that he had been killed in Pakistan and described them as a ‘rumor’. Al-Quso also said he was surprised about reports that he was in Waziristan, particularly in light of “the situation in Yemen, which is similar to the situation in Pakistan.”

“On the contrary, my presence in Yemen is better in light of the crisis situation with the Yemeni government,” al-Quso told Arafat Mudabish, a reporter with the newspaper.

Al-Quso was asked if he had received offers from the Yemeni government to surrender himself in return for certain guarantees and promises, but he did not comment on this specifically. “We will not give up our religion and the principles that we hold in our hearts. This is unlikely,” he said.

Al-Quso also told the newspaper that the Yemeni government had ‘overstated’ the size and presence of al-Qaeda in Yemen in order to justify ‘the killing of innocent people’ in U.S. and Yemeni airstrikes which are meant to combat terrorism.

The most wanted terrorist was arrested by Yemeni authorities in April 2003 in connection with the attack on the USS Cole. He escaped from prison, however, and was recaptured about 11 months later in early 2004. He was then released in 2007, despite U.S. protests.