The FBI’s most wanted al-Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan over the weekend, President Biden announced Monday night.
Al-Zawahiri, 71, helped plan the 9/11 attack and led al-Qaida after Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forced in 2011.
“We make it clear again tonight that, that no matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out,” Biden said.
Al-Zawahiri played key roles in plotting terrorist attacks since the 1990s.
“To kill Americans and their allies — civilian and military — is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in every country in which it is possible to do it,” al-Zawahiri wrote in a 1998 manifesto.
Biden warned other terrorists that they could be next.
“And to those around the world who continue to seek to harm the United States, hear me now: We will always remain vigilant and we will act and we will always do what is necessary to ensure the safety and security of Americans at home and around the globe,” Biden said.
The FBI updated its Most Wanted Terrorist poster with al-Zawahiri’s status: “Deceased.”
