Al Qaeda Leader In North Africa Narrowly Escapes Capture In Kenya

This was close and dammit, the Kenyan authorities came up empty in nabbing al Qaeda in Eastern Africa leader Fazul Abdullah Mohammed. Fazul had apparently snuck into Kenya from Somalia to get some needed medical attention where Kenyan officials got a tip on him but he escaped capture. Here's some of the details from The Long War Journal:

Senior al Qaeda leader Fazul Abdullah Mohammed escaped a raid in the resort town of Mandali in Kenyan, police stated.
Kenyan police raided a home after "intelligence reports show that he came into the country from Somalia to seek medical attention because of a kidney condition," an anonymous senior detective told Reuters. Two men were detained and two of Fazul's passports were found.
Fazul appears to have received a tip that helped him escape. "We sealed off the whole area and had sea and land patrols but unfortunately, Fazul got leakage of the intended raid and escaped," the official told Reuters. "We are still looking for him."

As to just why Fazul is such a big prize in the region, take a look at his list of terror acts:

Fazul, an 18-year veteran of al Qaeda, is considered one of the terror group's top commanders in eastern Africa, where he serves as the operations chief. He was responsible for planning the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as the 2002 car bombing attack in Kenya and missile attack on an Israeli airliner. He also served as the intelligence chief for the Islamic Courts during its reign in 2006.

If there is any saving grace in this missed capture, it would be that Fazul didn't get his medical treatment and his kidneys are barking at him as he scurries back to Somalia. My guess is that Somalia isn't a hotbed for endocrinology.

The West has been after this asshat for quite some time and you may remember a couple of missile strikes the U.S. has launched at him over the past year and a half so I would say this cat's days are numbered. Whether a U.S. missile gets him, or a Kenyan police officer or his kidneys, it has been too long coming.

Al Qaeda's East Africa operations chief escapes raid in Kenya

Senior al Qaeda leader Fazul Abdullah Mohammed escaped a raid in the resort town of Mandali in Kenyan, police stated.
Kenyan police raided a home after "intelligence reports show that he came into the country from Somalia to seek medical attention because of a kidney condition," an anonymous senior detective told Reuters. Two men were detained and two of Fazul's passports were found.
Fazul appears to have received a tip that helped him escape. "We sealed off the whole area and had sea and land patrols but unfortunately, Fazul got leakage of the intended raid and escaped," the official told Reuters. "We are still looking for him."
Fazul, an 18-year veteran of al Qaeda, is considered one of the terror group's top commanders in eastern Africa, where he serves as the operations chief. He was responsible for planning the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as the 2002 car bombing attack in Kenya and missile attack on an Israeli airliner. He also served as the intelligence chief for the Islamic Courts during its reign in 2006.
Fazul joined al Qaeda after traveling to Pakistan in 1990. He was a member of the al Qaeda team that participated in the Battle of Mogadishu in October 1993. Two US Black Hawk helicopters were shot down and 18 US soldiers were killed during the heavy street fighting.
Fazul, along with al Qaeda leader Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan and Abu Tala al Sudani, has been sheltering in Somalia with the Islamic Courts and its radical offshoot, Shabab. The Islamic Courts and Shabab have stepped up its attacks in Somalia the past several months. Islamic Courts and Shabab fighters attack Somali and Ethiopian forces on a daily basis and again control vast swaths of central and southern Somalia.