国际英语新闻：U.S. designates operative of al-Qaeda in Yemen global terrorist

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday designated operative of the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Fahd al-Quso as a specially designated global terrorist.

The man was also added to the United Nations 1267 Sanctions Committee's Consolidated List of Individuals associated with al- Qaeda and the Taliban, an act requiring "all UN member states to implement an assets freeze, a travel ban and an arms embargo against this individual," the U.S. State Department said in a press release.

"These actions will help stem the flow of finances to, and inhibit the travel of, this dangerous operative," the department said.

"The designation of Fahd al-Quso highlights U.S. action against the threat posed to the United States by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula," U.S. Ambassador for Counterterrorism Daniel Benjamin said. "Today's joint designation by the United States and the United Nations alerts the public that Fahd al-Quso is actively engaged in terrorism. These actions expose and isolate individuals like al-Quso and results in denial of access to the global financial system."

The U.S. State Department accused al-Quso of involving in the 2000 USS Cole bombing in the port of Aden, killing 17 American sailors. He was jailed in Yemen in 2002 for the attack.

Following his release from prison in 2007, al-Quso joined the AQAP. In November 2009, he was added to the list of the FBI's most wanted terrorists.

In May 2010, al-Quso appeared in an AQAP video in which he threatened to attack the U.S. homeland as well as U.S. embassies and naval vessels abroad, the U.S. State Department said.

It said that "this designation represents just one phase of the U.S. government's response to the threat posed by AQAP."

The U.S. government has been beefing up its aid to Yemen in fighting against the AQAP, following a failed parcel bomb plot against targets on U.S. soil in late October, for which the Yemen- based group later claimed responsibility.