{"id":2065,"date":"2020-11-13T23:42:58","date_gmt":"2020-11-14T05:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coatesn\/?p=2065"},"modified":"2020-11-19T00:03:54","modified_gmt":"2020-11-19T06:03:54","slug":"2065","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coatesn\/2020\/11\/13\/2065\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

So this is the big news today.\u00a0 \u201cAl Qaeda\u2019s No. 2, Accused in U.S. Embassy Attacks, Was Killed in Iran,\u201d<\/a> Adam Goldman, Eric Schmitt, Farnaz Fassihi, and Ronen Bergman, New York Times, August 13, 2020.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIsraeli agents shot Abu Muhammad al-Masri on the streets of Tehran at the behest of the U.S., officials said, but no one \u2014 Iran, Al Qaeda, the U.S. or Israel \u2014 has publicly acknowledged the killing.\u201d\u00a0 Here are the important points of the story, followed by some comments.\u00a0 \u201cAl-Qaida\u2019s second-highest leader, accused of being one of the masterminds of the deadly 1998 attacks on U.S. embassies in Africa, was killed in Iran three months ago, intelligence officials have confirmed. Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, who went by the nom de guerre Abu Muhammad al-Masri, was gunned down on the streets of Tehran by two assassins on a motorcycle on Aug. 7, the anniversary of the embassy attacks. He was killed along with his daughter, Miriam, the widow of Osama bin Laden\u2019s son Hamza bin Laden. The attack was carried out by Israeli operatives at the behest of the United States, according to four of the officials. It is unclear what role if any was played by the United States, which had been tracking the movements of al-Masri and other al-Qaida operatives in Iran for years. The killing occurred in such a netherworld of geopolitical intrigue and counterterrorism spycraft that al-Masri\u2019s death had been rumored but never confirmed until now. For reasons that are still obscure, al-Qaida has not announced the death of one of its top leaders, Iranian officials covered it up, and no country has publicly claimed responsibility for it. Al-Masri, who was about 58, was one of al-Qaida\u2019s founding leaders and was thought to be first in line to lead the organization after its current leader, Ayman al-Zawahri. Long featured on the FBI\u2019s Most Wanted Terrorist list, he had been indicted in the United States for crimes related to the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people and wounded hundreds. The FBI offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture, and as of Friday, his picture was still on the Most Wanted list.\u201d Why is this story being reported by today?\u00a0 Who leaked it?\u00a0 Were there cover stories for the shooting?\u00a0 What is going on beyond what is being reported here?\u00a0 Isn\u2019t it amazing who is being sheltered by Iran?<\/p>\n

\u201cDarkSide ransomware is creating a secure data leak service in Iran,\u201d<\/a> Lawrence Abrams, Bleeping Computer, November 13, 2020.<\/p>\n

“A year after the November protests, human rights violators have not been held accountable in Iran,\u201d<\/a> Gissou Nia, Iran Source, November 13, 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran the big loser in Nagorno-Karabakh war,\u201d<\/a> Luke Coffey, Arab News, November 13, 2020,<\/p>\n

Iran oversaw effort to send two explosives-packed boats to a major refinery and terminal.\u00a0 \u201cSaudis say they thwarted Iran-backed attack on oil facility near Yemen,”<\/a> AP, November 13, 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran, Syria explore avenues of cooperation in water sector,\u201d<\/a> Tehran Times, November 13, 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran considering total lockdown in Tehran: Iranian media,\u201d<\/a> WHBL, November 13, 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran game show asks contestants which \u2018spy\u2019 Boris Johnson wants released,\u201d<\/a> Borzou Daragahi, Independent, November 13, 2020.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So this is the big news today.\u00a0 \u201cAl Qaeda\u2019s No. 2, Accused in U.S. Embassy Attacks, Was Killed in Iran,\u201d Adam Goldman, Eric Schmitt, Farnaz Fassihi, and Ronen Bergman, New York Times, August 13, 2020.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIsraeli agents shot Abu Muhammad al-Masri on the streets of Tehran at the behest of the U.S., officials said, but no … <\/p>\n

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