On 17 June, the State Department designated Shawki Ali Ahmed al-Badani as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. The State Department asserts that Mr. al-Badani is a leader and operative for Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (“AQAP”) involved in terrorist activity. Mr. al-Badani is alleged to have ordered an attack on the US Embassy in Yemen and to have played a key role in a major 2013 attack that led the United States to close 19 diplomatic posts in the Middle East and Africa. Additionally, the State Department notes that Mr. al-Badani has been described as having a connection with a suicide bomber that killed more than 100 Yemeni soldiers in May 2012. AQAP was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity in January 2010.
State Department Press Release
