US, UN adds Yemeni al-Qaeda militant to terror blacklist

Quso, who was jailed for five years in Yemen for the USS Cole bombing in 2000 in the Port of Aden which killed 17 US sailors, was reported killed in September this year in Waziristan by a missile launched from an American drone.

But US intelligence officials said they were unable to confirm Quso's death. Al-Qaeda did not release a martyrdom statement announcing Quso's death.

"The designation of Fahd al-Quso highlights US action against the threat posed to the United States by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)," said US Ambassador for Counter-terrorism Daniel Benjamin.

"Today's joint designation by the United States and the United Nations alerts the public that Fahd al-Quso is actively engaged in terrorism. These actions expose and isolate individuals like al-Quso and results in denial of access to the global financial system," Benjamin said.

He said the action against Quso, a "dangerous" operative of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, will help stem the flow of finances to, and inhibit his travel.

Following his release from prison in 2007, al-Quso joined al Qaeda in Yemen. In November 2009, he was added to the list of the FBI's most wanted terrorists. Al-Quso is connected to other designated AQAP senior leaders, including Anwar al-Awlaqi, Nasir al-Wahishi, and Said Ali al-Shihri, and acts as a cell leader in Yemen.

In May 2010, Quso appeared in an AQAP video in which he threatened to attack the US homeland, as well as US embassies and naval vessels abroad.

In addition to the US domestic action, the United Nations 1267 Sanctions Committee's listing will require all UN member states to implement an assets freeze, a travel ban, and an arms embargo against Quso.

"The actions taken against this AQAP operative demonstrate international resolve in eliminating AQAP's ability to execute violent attacks and to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat their networks. This designation represents just one phase of the US Government's response to the threat posed by AQAP," a State Department release said.