The U.S. Department of State has designated Shawki Ali Ahmed al-Badani, a mid-level leader of the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula terrorist group, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224.
This move, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism, means that all of al-Badani’s property and interests within the reach of the United States government is frozen. Also, no U.S. citizen may engage in transactions with al-Badani, nor in any way support him.
Al Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, is a militant Islamist organization, based in Yemen and also active in Saudi Arabia. The State Department designated AQAP as a terrorist organization in January 2010.
Shawki Ali Ahmed al-Badani has been described by Yemeni officials as a “high-risk operational militant,” and “the most dangerous terrorist affiliated with al-Qa’ida.”
In May 2012, an al-Badani-linked suicide bomber posed as a member of the Yemeni military and self-detonated amongst Yemeni soldiers practicing for the annual Unity Day military parade in Sana'a. This was the deadliest terrorist attack in the country’s history, killing 122 people and injuring hundreds more. AQAP claimed responsibility for the attack.
Just over a year later, in July 2013, U.S. officials uncovered a plot, hatched in Yemen and with al-Badani’s key participation, to attack U.S. embassies and diplomatic facilities across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
As a result of these and other terrorist acts, the government of Yemen last year placed al-Badani on its Most Wanted list and offered a 100,000 dollar reward leading to his capture.
This designation of Shawki Ali Ahmed al-Badani as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist demonstrates our resolve to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula.
