Russian Security Report Death of Al Qaeda Leader

(Moscow) Russia's Federal Security Service, FSB, announced Friday that Sheikh Abu Omar Al Seyf, the top al Qaeda leader in the North Caucasus, was killed in the Russian Republic of Dagestan last month.

From Mosnews.com:

"Under the cover of the international non-governmental organization Al Haramein Islamic Foundation, he organized a terrorist cell in Dagestan, Chechnya and Ingushetia," the FSB reported. During the last few years Al Seyf was a chairman of the so-called shariah courts committee of the self-proclaimed Chechen republic of Ichkeria. He was reportedly informed of all the appointments made within the armed groups. He received and distributed all the money for terrorist activity inside Russia, the FSB report said.

The security officials claim Al Seyf took part in the planning and preparing of terrorist attacks, and extremist religious and political propaganda.

Notice that Al Seyf started his cell network under the auspices of an NGO, the Al Haramein Islamic Foundation. By extension, it's probably reasonable to assume that NGOs are also being used as al Qaeda fronts elsewhere, say, in the U.S.

Details of Al Seyf's death were not reported. However, since he was simply a thug terrorist who measured success in the number of murdered civilians, I hope his death was slow and excruciatingly painful.