• Home
• /
• World

Awlaqi death is ‘significant blow to Al-Qaeda’: Britain

LONDON — British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Friday the killing of US-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi in a suspected US air strike in Yemen is “another significant blow to Al-Qaeda.”

Awlaqi was linked to a series of plots involving Britain including when a parcel bomb on a transatlantic plane was removed from an aircraft at a British airport in October.

“If confirmed, the death of Anwar al-Awlaqi is another significant blow to Al-Qaeda,” Hague said in a statement.

“With the attempted Detroit bombing and the aeroplane cargo bomb plots he has demonstrated his intent and ability to cause mass terror, whilst his murderous ideology was responsible for inspiring terrorist attacks in the UK and the US,” he said.

“We must keep up the pressure on Al-Qaeda and its allies and remain vigilant to the threat we face.”

Awlaqi, who was allegedly a key member of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was allegedly linked to an attempted suicide bombing on a Detroit-bound airliner by an attacker with explosives in his underpants.

He also allegedly conspired with a Bangladeshi Islamic militant working for British Airways to blow up a plane, while his online sermons were credited with inspiring a young woman to stab a British lawmaker.