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The US believes that Ibrahim al-Asiri, a master al Qaeda bombmaker, is dead.The Saudi Arabian native was the mastermind behind the "underwear bomb" attempt to detonate a flight above the skies of Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009.A senior US official expressed "confidence that he was killed."Two US officials told CNN al-Asiri was killed by a CIA drone last year. The CIA is not commenting on his fate.CNN reported last week that al-Asiri may have been killed in Yemen last year, according to a UN team that tracks terrorist groups.Counterterrorism analysts say there should be significant skepticism over al-Asiri's possible demise for one major reason: His group, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, has not released any statement acknowledging his death, nor a eulogy celebrating his martyrdom.Al-Asiri is widely credited with perfecting miniaturized bombs with little or no metal content that could make it past some airport security screening. That ability made him a direct threat to the US, and some of his plots had come close to reaching their targets in the US.In addition to the "underwear bomb" attempt, al-Asiri was behind the so-called "printer bomb" plot. That plan saw him send explosive devices inside printers to the US. The two packages were being shipped from Yemen through Dubai and the UK in October 2010.Both were addressed to synagogues in Chicago.Al-Asiri appeared to have taken on a more public-facing role within al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in recent years, including purportedly recording a speech the group released in 2016.The most recent public statement attributed to him was a written speech released by the group on September 12, 2017, to coincide with the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The speech promised an ongoing war against the United States.CNN cannot independently verify he authored these statements.Few expect al-Asiri's expertise to die with him. Officials believe he trained a number of apprentices. And since 2014, US officials have been concerned that bomb-making expertise built up by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has migrated to other groups, including al Qaeda operatives in Syria.Meanwhile, ISIS is among the terrorist groups that have worked to develop laptop bombs, prompting large electronics to be temporarily banned in the cabin on certain flights to the United States and the UK from the Middle East last year. 2414

The term "money laundering" was never more appropriate than this week, when Dutch police found around 0,000 stuffed inside the drum of a washing machine.A man present in the house during Monday's raid was arrested on suspicion of -- yes, you've guessed it -- money laundering.Authorities were checking for unregistered residents in western Amsterdam when they found the load."The municipal administration revealed that no one lived at the address," the police told CNN in a statement. "When the police did a search through the house they found €350,000 hidden in the washing machine."The police also confiscated several mobile phones, a firearm and a money-counting machine during the raid. The suspect, who is 24 years old, has not been named.The police news release included a picture of bundles of €20 and €50 bills crammed into the washing machine.They said in a statement that the raid was part of an investigation into "housing fraud, money laundering and other [signs] of crime." 997

The US will respond to the Assad regime's alleged chemical attack against Syrian civilians, US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the United Nations as she excoriated Russia, saying its hands are "covered in the blood of Syrian children.""Chemical weapons have once again been used on Syrian men, women and children," Haley said at a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss what appeared to be a chemical attack on Douma, the last rebel-held town in Syria, on Saturday that left 49 people dead and scores injured."History will record this as the moment when the Security Council either discharged its duty or demonstrated its utter and complete failure to protect the people of Syria," Haley said. "Either way, the United States will respond."Images of gasping children struggling to breathe shocked the world and galvanized President Donald Trump, who condemned the attack as "sick" and upbraided Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran for supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.Trump threatened that there would be "a big price to pay" for the attack.On Monday, Haley made clear that Russia could "pay" as well, as tensions between Washington and Moscow were laid bare in the Security Council. Russia's ambassador accused the US of plotting against Moscow and Syria, threatening international security, stoking global tensions and operating outside the confines of international law.Haley described at length and in detail blue-skinned Syrian toddlers lying dead in their parents' arms after the suspected chemical attack and made clear that the US sees Moscow as responsible. Russia, she implied, is not even a civilized nation."The monster who was responsible for these attacks has no conscience to be shocked by pictures of dead children," Haley said, explaining that she wouldn't show photos of the victims as she had after a chemical attack in April 2017 that led to US strikes on Syria."The Russian regime, whose hands are also covered in the blood of Syrian children, cannot be shamed by pictures of its victims," she said. "We've tried that before.""Russia could stop this senseless slaughter, if it wanted," she said. "But it stands with the Assad regime and supports it without hesitation. What's the point of trying to shame such people? After all, no civilized government would have anything to do with Assad's murderous regime.""Russia's obstructionism will not continue to hold us hostage when we are confronted with an attack like this one," she added.Russia pushed back hard. "Nobody has invested you with the authority to act as gendarmes, policemen of the world ... we call on you to return to the legal fold," Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said. Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had argued that there is no evidence chemical weapons were used, a claim Nebenzia echoed."The use of sarin and chlorine is not confirmed," Nebenzia echoed in the Monday meeting. He went on to say that the US, along with the UK and France, is acting "without any justifications, and without considering the consequences have engaged in a confrontational policy toward Russia and Syria."In extended, rambling remarks, Nebenzia accused the US of plotting a strike against Damascus and planting the "fake news" of the Douma attack Saturday as justification. He then veered off onto the subject of an alleged nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in the UK, attempting to link all the events."Is it not clear to all? Syria, Russia, Salisbury," Nebenzia said, referring to the British city where the spy was poisoned.The UN's special envoy for Syria, Staffan di Mistura, noted that some states have publicly raised their suspicions that Syria was behind the attack. Other states, he said, "have strongly questioned the credibility of these allegations.""What reason more, then, for a thorough, independent investigation," he concluded, as he denounced the use of chemical weapons as "abhorrent" and called for a thorough investigation.Nongovernmental organizations on the ground had documented "hundreds of cases of civilians with symptoms consistent with exposure to chemical weapons," he said.Between August 2013 and February 2018 there have been at least 85 confirmed chemical attacks in Syria, with the Syrian government responsible for at least 50 of them, according to Human Rights Watch.Even before Nebenzia's accusations, Mistura warned about the hostilities in Syria spiraling out of control to threaten international stability. "I have reached a point in which I am expressing a concern about international security," he told the council.Telling the gathered officials that recent developments carry more danger than ever, he said that "different fault lines that are completely crossing each other and are interconnected" and escalation could "have absolutely devastating consequences that is difficult for us to even imagine.""The council cannot allow a situation of uncontrollable escalation in Syria on any front," he said.Haley and other speakers stressed that a dangerous precedent is being set."We are on the edge of a dangerous precipice," Haley said. "The great evil of chemical weapons use that once unified the world in opposition is on the verge of becoming the new normal. The international community must not let this happen." 5312

The US Air Force apologized Thursday for its ill-advised attempt to incorporate the viral "Yanny" or "Laurel" meme into a tweet about repelling a Taliban attack in Afghanistan.In what was clearly a major social media fail, the initial tweet -- which was posted by the Air Force's official account earlier in the day -- attempted to put a playful spin on the popular meme currently sweeping the internet by comparing it to the distinctive sound of the 30mm cannons aboard an A-10 Warthog aircraft."The Taliban Forces in Farah city #Afghanistan would much rather have heard #Yanny or #Laurel than the deafening #BRRRT they got courtesy of our #A10," the tweet said.The tweet has since been deleted and replaced with an apology that said the initial post was "made in poor taste.""We apologize for the earlier tweet regarding the A-10. It was made in poor taste and we are addressing it internally. It has since been removed," the second post said.Politicians, corporate brands and even the Department of Defense's official Twitter account have weighed in on the debate centered around a viral audio clip that says either "Yanny" or "Laurel" depending on the listeners interpretation.But the Air Force's post incorporating the pop-culture reference sparked criticism from those who said it was inappropriate to mention the meme in a tweet about the thwarted Taliban attack .When asked about the controversy on Thursday, Pentagon Spokeswoman Dana White said she wasn't aware of the tweet."What is important to understand is that this is the Afghans' fight. We are working by, with and through these partners. And they are dying to secure their own future and I think that shouldn't be forgotten in any of this," she added.The US military helped Afghan troops repel a major Taliban attack on the Afghan provincial capital Farah on Tuesday and Wednesday that punctured the security perimeter surrounding the city, US and NATO officials told CNN.The Pentagon said Thursday some US advisers assisted in the fight and coalition airstrikes also took place. US A-10 attack jets also flew overhead but did not conduct any strikes.It was unclear how close the Taliban came to capturing the city, which would have represented a major blow to the Afghan government.The insurgents claimed they briefly seized the city center, while the NATO-led coalition said it saw no direct evidence that they ever made it into the city.Afghan A-29 attack planes and Mi-17 helicopters carried out multiple airstrikes in defense of the city.US military advisers eventually arrived in the city to assist Afghan military commanders at their headquarters, helping to call in drone strikes that killed some 28 Taliban fighters, Lt. Col. Martin O'Donnell told CNN.He said US troops also arrived to advise Afghan commando units involved in the counterattack but did not participate in offensive operations. 2877

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened the highest number of travelers on Sunday since the start of the pandemic as more than a million Americans traveled home following the Thanksgiving holiday.The TSA screened 1.2 million passengers on Sunday, marking its highest total since March 16 ¡ª just days after President Donald Trump delivered a primetime address announcing travel restrictions to Europe as COVID-19 began to spread in the U.S. While TSA screening numbers aren't representative of all travel throughout the U.S., the number gives officials an idea of how many people boarded an airplane in the U.S. in a given timeframe.Despite the uptick in travelers, the amount of Americans traveling following Thanksgiving was nowhere near the amount that traveled on the Sunday following Thanksgiving in 2019 ¡ª on that day, TSA screen 2.9 million Americans.The uptick in travel comes despite warnings from the CDC against traveling for Thanksgiving amid a spike in COVID-19 cases. Top ranking health officials are urging anyone who traveled to attend a Thanksgiving gathering to get tested for COVID-19 even if they do not have symptoms.On Sunday, Dr. Deborah Birx ¡ª a member of the White House coronavirus task force ¡ª said anyone who attended a Thanksgiving gathering over the weekend should "assume" they have COVID-19 and take precautions against spreading the virus in the coming weeks.The U.S. has seen more than 4 million people become infected with the virus in November alone ¡ª a number that represents 30% of all cases recorded in the country since the pandemic began.Last week, Dr. Anthony Fauci ¡ª the U.S.'s leading infectious disease expert ¡ª warned that the U.S. could see a "spike superimposed on a spike" in cases in the weeks after Thanksgiving if Americans continued to travel. 1821