Iran denies report of senior Al Qaeda leader killed in Tehran
Friday 13 November 2020
SMA News – Iran
Israeli operatives assassinated Abu Muhammad Al Masri in August, according to intelligence officials quoted by the New York Times
Iran denied a report that Al Qaeda’s second-in-command was killed in Tehran in August by Israeli operatives at the behest of the United States, saying there were no members of the terrorist group on its soil.
The New York Times reported on Friday that Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, who went by the nom de guerre Abu Muhammad Al Masri, was gunned down by two men on a motorcycle in the streets of Tehran on August 7.
Al Masri, one of Al Qaeda’s founding leaders, was killed along with his daughter, the widow of former Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden’s son, Hamza bin Laden, the Times reported, citing unnamed intelligence officials.
The killing of Al Masri, seen as a likely successor to Al Qaeda’s current leader, Ayman Al Zawahiri, had been kept secret, the newspaper said. Al Qaeda did not announce the death of the Egyptian-born militant, while Iranian officials covered up the assassination.
