Overview

Jamel Ahmed Mohammed Ali al-Badawi was an al-Qaeda operative and one of the terrorists behind the 2000 bombing attack on the USS Cole, which killed 17 American sailors.J.D. Simkins, “Terrorist behind 2000 destroyer Cole bombing killed in airstrike,” Navy Times, January 4, 2019, https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2019/01/04/terrorist-behind-2000-uss-cole-bombing-killed-in-airstrike/. Badawi was captured twice by Yemeni authorities, but he escaped from prison both times, most recently in February 2006.“Most Wanted: Jamel Ahmed Mohammed Ali Al-Badawi,” Federal Bureau of Investigation, accessed March 20, 2019, https://web.archive.org/web/20190107003732/https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/wanted_terrorists/jamel-ahmed-mohammed-ali-al-badawi. On January 1, 2019, Badawi was reportedly killed in a U.S. airstrike in Yemen.Ryan Browne and Barbara Starr, “Trump: US military killed terrorist behind USS Cole bombing,” CNN, January 6, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/04/politics/uss-cole-al-badawi-killed/index.html.

Born in Yemen in the 1960s, Badawi was a long-term al-Qaeda operative, who had received training in al-Qaeda terrorist camps in Afghanistan in the 1990s. He was reportedly one of the key figures behind the USS Cole bombing, one of the deadliest terrorist attacks against the United States prior to 9/11.Ryan Browne and Barbara Starr, “Trump: US military killed terrorist behind USS Cole bombing,” CNN, January 6, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/04/politics/uss-cole-al-badawi-killed/index.html; “Remarks of Attorney General John Ashcroft – Indictment for the Bombing of the U.S.S. Cole,” U.S. Department of Justice, May 15, 2003, https://www.justice.gov/archive/ag/speeches/2003/051503agremarksusscole.htm. On October 12, 2000, the guided-missile destroyer docked at the Yemeni port of Aden for a standard refueling stop when an explosive-laden boat maneuvered toward the USS Cole. The subsequent explosion ripped a gash into the ship’s port side, killing 17 sailors and wounding 39 others.J.D. Simkins, “Terrorist behind 2000 destroyer Cole bombing killed in airstrike,” Navy Times, January 4, 2019, https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2019/01/04/terrorist-behind-2000-uss-cole-bombing-killed-in-airstrike/.

In December 2000, Yemeni authorities took Badawi into custody, but he escaped from prison in April 2003. He was recaptured in March 2004, convicted for the USS Cole bombing attack, and sentenced to death by a Yemeni court on September 29, 2004. After successfully appealing, his death sentence was reduced to 15 years imprisonment in February 2005.“Did al Qaeda fugitives get inside help?,” CBS News, February 6, 2006, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/did-qaeda-fugitives-get-inside-help/; J.D. Simkins, “Terrorist behind 2000 destroyer Cole bombing killed in airstrike,” Navy Times, January 4, 2019, https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2019/01/04/terrorist-behind-2000-uss-cole-bombing-killed-in-airstrike/. A year later, Badawi and several other inmates escaped prison again by using broomsticks and pieces of a broken fan to dig a tunnel to a nearby mosque.“Most Wanted: Jamel Ahmed Mohammed Ali Al-Badawi,” Federal Bureau of Investigation, accessed March 20, 2019, https://web.archive.org/web/20190107003732/https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/wanted_terrorists/jamel-ahmed-mohammed-ali-al-badawi; Ryan Browne and Barbara Starr, “Trump: US military killed terrorist behind USS Cole bombing,” CNN, January 6, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/04/politics/uss-cole-al-badawi-killed/index.html. In October 2007, he surrendered as part of an agreement between Yemeni authorities and al-Qaeda militants. Badawi was released after pledging loyalty to the Yemeni president and promising to not engage in any violent or al-Qaeda-related activity. A spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council described Yemen’s move as “deeply disappointing.”“USS Cole plotter freed by Yemen,” BBC News, October 27, 2007, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7065074.stm; “Yemen Frees USS Cole Bomb Plotter,” CBS News, October 26, 2007, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/yemen-frees-uss-cole-bomb-plotter/.

Meanwhile in May 2003, Badawi was indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York and charged with 50 counts of various terrorism offenses, including murder of U.S. nationals and murder of U.S. military personnel.Ryan Browne and Barbara Starr, “Trump: US military killed terrorist behind USS Cole bombing,” CNN, January 6, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/04/politics/uss-cole-al-badawi-killed/index.html. The indictment stated that Badawi helped to procure safehouses in Aden, Yemen, for the terrorists, and obtained the boat used in the USS Cole attack, as well as the truck and trailer used to tow the boat to Aden harbor. According to official records, he was eligible for the death penalty if convicted of these charges.“Remarks of Attorney General John Ashcroft – Indictment for the Bombing of the U.S.S. Cole,” U.S. Department of Justice, May 15, 2003, https://www.justice.gov/archive/ag/speeches/2003/051503agremarksusscole.htm. Badawi was since then listed as one of the FBI’s most wanted terrorists, and the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice Program offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest.Ryan Browne and Barbara Starr, “Trump: US military killed terrorist behind USS Cole bombing,” CNN, January 6, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/04/politics/uss-cole-al-badawi-killed/index.html.

On January 1, 2019, Badawi was reportedly killed in a U.S. airstrike in Yemen’s Ma’rib Governorate. The U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the region, confirmed his death and clarified that there were no other casualties, as Badawi was struck while driving alone in a vehicle.Ryan Browne and Barbara Starr, “Trump: US military killed terrorist behind USS Cole bombing,” CNN, January 6, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/04/politics/uss-cole-al-badawi-killed/index.html.

Another al-Qaeda militant linked to the 2000 USS Cole bombing, Abd al-Rahman al-Nashiri, has been in U.S. custody since 2002 at the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay.Ryan Browne and Barbara Starr, “Trump: US military killed terrorist behind USS Cole bombing,” CNN, January 6, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/04/politics/uss-cole-al-badawi-killed/index.html.