The second-in-command of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was killed in a recent counter-terrorism operation , the Yemeni government confirmed Thursday . Abu Sufyan al-Azdi , also known as Saeed al-Shahri , died after being wounded in the governorate of Saadah on November 28 , said the Supreme National Security Committee of Yemen . He was also one of the most wanted men in Saudi Arabia . Al-Azdi was buried by militants linked to al Qaeda at an undisclosed location inside Yemen , the government said in a statement . Read more : Drone kills 6 suspected militants in Yemen . The confirmation comes a day after a prominent jihadist announced that al-Azdi died `` after a long journey in fighting the Zio-Crusader campaign . '' That jihadist was Abdulla bin Muhammad , who used his Twitter account to report the purported death . The tweet was reported by SITE Intelligence Group , which monitors global terrorism . Al-Azdi was co-founder and deputy emir of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and had `` survived multiple operations in the past , '' the government said . Al-Azdi `` was a coconspirator in a number of AQAP foreign operations and was possibly involved in the kidnappings and killings of foreigners in Yemen , '' the government said . `` Dozens of brave Yemeni officers and innocent civilians have lost their lives in this ongoing war . Yemen remains committed to fighting terrorism and eradicating extremism . '' This week , the Arabic news network Al-Arabiya also reported al-Azdi 's death , citing his relatives . But three senior Yemeni defense ministry officials told CNN the country then had no evidence proving his death . Al-Azdi had been falsely reported dead in the past , the latest incident being in September when Yemen claimed he was killed in an air raid . An audio message released the next month supposedly featured al-Azdi saying he was still alive . Al-Azdi spent six years in the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay before being released in 2007 . A Saudi national , he escaped Saudi Arabia to Yemen in 2008 . Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi announced in October that Yemen would step up its military operations with the United States against al Qaeda operatives . U.S. drone activity increased in 2012 targeting senior leaders of AQAP . At the same time , al Qaeda carried out a number of attacks on military and security commanders , personnel , patrols and installations , killing more than 60 people , according to Yemen 's Interior Ministry .
Al Qaeda 's No . 6 leader in Arabia was Saeed al-Shahri , also named Al-Azdi . Yemen confirms he was killed in a November counter-terrorism operation . A jihadist had tweeted the death November , SITE Intelligence Group says . Al-Azdi was buried by militants at an undisclosed place in Arabia , officials say .