The U.S. born radical Islamic al-Qaeda preacher Anwar al-Awlaki was killed Friday in Yemen.
CBS News confirmed with senior security correspondent David Martin that al-Awlaki was killed Friday morning in a U.S. drone strike.
Al-Awlaki had preached in San Diego and Virginia to several of the 9/11 terrorists, and has been linked to the Christmas 2009 bombing attempt on a U.S. airliner over Detroit.
Local tribal leaders said the attack came as the cleric was traveling in a two-car convoy that was attacked by pilot-less drones seen over the area in previous days.
A statement from Yemen's foreign press office said al-Awlaki "was targeted and killed about 5 miles from the town of Khasef in the Province of Jawf, 80 miles east of the Capital Sana'a."
This is not the first time news of al-Awlaki's death has been announced, so Friday's report was received with caution.
Al-Awlaki is the most prominent al-Qaeda member to be killed since Osama bin Laden's death during the May 2 raid on his Abbottabad compound.
The radical preacher was born in New Mexico and his greatest threat lay not in his operational skills but his fluent English and Internet savvy that helped him reach Muslims that may not speak Arabic.
Al-Awlaki was a master at crafting eloquent speeches calling for jihad against Americans.
Check out Anwar al-Awlaki speaking in this video below:
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