USS Cole bomber died in Yemen air strike - Trump Published duration 6 January 2019

image copyright EPA image caption Jamal al-Badawi was believed to be an al-Qaeda commander

Jamal al-Badawi, the al-Qaeda militant behind the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000, died in a US air strike, President Donald Trump has confirmed.

"Our great military has delivered justice for the heroes lost and wounded in the cowardly attack," Mr Trump said.

Seventeen US sailors were killed and at least 40 people were wounded in the attack on the US destroyer as it was refuelling in the port of Aden.

A US grand jury indicted Badawi in 2003 for his role in the bombing, and the FBI offered a reward of up to $5m (£4m) for information leading to his arrest

In 2004 he was convicted of plotting and taking part in the attack but escaped from prison in Yemen and, after handing himself in again, was allowed to walk free.

What happened to the USS Cole?

On 12 October 2000 two Yemeni suicide bombers rammed the ship in a small boat packed with up to 225kg (500lb) of high explosives, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the warship.

The attack's alleged planner, Saudi-born Abd al-Nashiri, is being held in US custody at Guantanamo Bay and could face the death penalty.

image copyright AFP image caption The USS Cole suffered a gaping hole in its side