FBI says one of its 'most wanted terrorists' has been confirmed dead in the Philippines

From the Daily Mail (Apr 2): FBI says one of its 'most wanted terrorists' has been confirmed dead in the Philippines

• FBI said on Wednesday it has confirmed that Zulkifli bin Hir is dead
• Was a member of the Al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah militant group
• Bin Hir thought to be behind numerous bombing attacks in the Philippines
• He trained as an engineer in United States and there was a $5M reward 
• No longer appears on the Most Wanted Terrorist list on the FBI's website 

 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has confirmed one of its 'most wanted terrorists' was killed in a raid in the Philippines in January.

The FBI said on Wednesday that Zulkifli bin Hir, a Malaysian member of the Al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah militant group, is dead. 

The reward offered by the US State Department for the arrest of bin Hir, who was believed to be  behind numerous bombing attacks in the Philippines, was $5million.

Bin Hir was born 1966 in Muar, Johor, according to his profile at the National Counterterroism Center. 

It continues: 'An engineer trained in the United States, he is believed to be the head of the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia terrorist organization and a member of Jemaah Islamiyah's central command. 

'Since August 2003, he has been present in the Philippines, where he is believed to have conducted bomb-making training for the Abu Sayyaf Group.'

Bin Hir no longer appears on the Most Wanted Terrorist list on the FBI's website. 

Investigators said they had a difficult time confirming bin Hir's death because he was killed in a gruesome raid that went awry and left 44 police commandos dead.

Previously, the FBI reported that it had identified body matter at the scene that it believed belonged to Hir because of a DNA link between the matter and one of his siblings.

Three years ago, the Philippine military reported bin Hir died in an air strike, but he surfaced again last year in Mindanao under protection of a Moro Islamic Liberation Front splinter group.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3022145/FBI-confirms-one-wanted-terrorists-dead-Philippines.html