Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) announced that senior member of the group Ibrahim Al-Rubaish was killed by an American drone strike on Sunday evening, along with other unnamed militants.
Al-Rubaish, who came from a very wealthy conservative Saudi family, spent two decades fighting against America, including in Afghanistan before he was held by the US military and sent to Guantanamo Bay in September 2006.
Following his transfer to Saudi Arabia in December 2006, he escaped custody and joined Al-Qaeda in Yemen. In 2009, he became an AQAP Mufti and his seniority was elevated further following the death of Anwar Al-Awlaki; also killed by a drone strike in 2011.
Prior to his death in 2014, Al-Rubaish was put on the wanted list by the US State Department who offered a reward of up to $5 million for his location.
He was vocal in his support for the Charlie Hebdo attackers and called for further terrorist attacks on Western soil.