Mastermind of escape of US diplomat assassins killed in Libya

August 2, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – A Sudanese member of the Islamic State (ISIS) who is believed to be the mastermind behind the escape of killers of a U.S. diplomat in Khartoum, has died in mysterious circumstances in Libya amid conflicting reports on whether he was killed in military clashes or passed a way of natural causes.

John Granville, who worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), was shot with his driver Abdelrahman Abbas in their car as they returned from a New Year’s Eve celebration in Khartoum in 2008.

Four Jihadists were convicted of the killings in 2009 and sentenced to death but they escaped from the Kober prison North Khartoum the following year.

Qusai al-Jaili , who is believed to be the mastermind behind the escape operation , was released last April on a presidential pardon after spending six years in prison. He then left to Libya to join ISIS.

Sources close to the family of al-Jaili told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday that he was killed during an aerial bombardment against one of ISIS strongholds in Libya, saying his family set up a mourning tent in Khartoum’s eastern suburb of Um Dom to receive condolences.

“The family learnt from an anonymous caller that al-Jaili has been injured before they were later told that he was killed,” added the source.

However, Al-Mijhar Al-Siyassi daily newspaper on Monday quoted other sources as saying that al-Jaili was complaining from fatigue few days before his family was informed that their son was killed.

Experts on Islamic groups say the total number of Sudanese elements within ISIS is estimated at 150 fighters, pointing that 56 of them had travelled to join the extremist organization from countries other than Sudan.

(ST)