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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Al-Qaeda leader al-Masri 'dead' | Al-Qaeda leader al-Masri 'dead' |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Abu Obaidah al-Masri, the militant chief believed to be a senior planner of al-Qaeda's attacks in Afghanistan, has died, US intelligence sources say. | Abu Obaidah al-Masri, the militant chief believed to be a senior planner of al-Qaeda's attacks in Afghanistan, has died, US intelligence sources say. |
| They said they believed Masri, a major operational figure within al-Qaeda linked to attacks in the UK and elsewhere, died of "natural causes". | They said they believed Masri, a major operational figure within al-Qaeda linked to attacks in the UK and elsewhere, died of "natural causes". |
| "The sense is that he is dead," a US official said. | "The sense is that he is dead," a US official said. |
| A US official told the BBC that Masri had apparently died within the last two months, probably of hepatitis. | A US official told the BBC that Masri had apparently died within the last two months, probably of hepatitis. |
| The Egyptian-born militant was described by both US and British counter-terrorism officials as head of external operations for al-Qaeda's core leadership. | |
| Village attacks | Village attacks |
| A former military commander in Afghanistan, Masri is believed to have directed attacks on US-led forces after the Taleban were ousted in 2001, before turning his attention to high-impact attacks on Western populations, says the BBC's security correspondent, Frank Gardner. | |
| The terror trail keeps leading back to Pakistan, and Masri was an essential part of al-Qaeda's headquarters in that country MJ GohelAsia Pacific Foundation | |
| Thought to have been hiding out in Pakistan's tribal areas before he died, counter-terrorism officials believe Masri was so important to al-Qaeda that his successor has yet to be appointed, our correspondent adds. | Thought to have been hiding out in Pakistan's tribal areas before he died, counter-terrorism officials believe Masri was so important to al-Qaeda that his successor has yet to be appointed, our correspondent adds. |
| He was such a mysterious figure that even his real name was a carefully veiled secret - Abu Obaidah al-Masri is an Arabic nom de guerre meaning "Father of Obaidah the Egyptian". | He was such a mysterious figure that even his real name was a carefully veiled secret - Abu Obaidah al-Masri is an Arabic nom de guerre meaning "Father of Obaidah the Egyptian". |
| Explosives expert | |
| Masri had escaped at least two assassination attempts in the past. | Masri had escaped at least two assassination attempts in the past. |
| Pakistani officials reported he had been killed in a 2006 missile strike on a Pakistani village near the Afghan border, only to say later that he had not been in the village at the time. | Pakistani officials reported he had been killed in a 2006 missile strike on a Pakistani village near the Afghan border, only to say later that he had not been in the village at the time. |
| Another missile attack on a different Pakistani village later in 2006 also missed its target. | Another missile attack on a different Pakistani village later in 2006 also missed its target. |
| MJ Gohel, a terrorism specialist at the Asia Pacific Foundation, an independent intelligence think tank based in London, said Masri was a known explosives expert. | |
| He was also a key figure in spreading Islamic militancy to Europe by bringing young Muslims with Western backgrounds to Pakistan for training, said Mr Gohel. | |
| "The terror trail keeps leading back to Pakistan, and Masri was an essential part of al Qaeda's headquarters in that country," he told Reuters news agency. |