A US airstrike has reportedly killed the terror mastermind behind the deadly USS Cole bombing that killed 17 American sailors

• A US airstrike in Yemen on Jan. 1 reportedly killed a notorious al-Qaeda operative.
• Jamel Ahmed Mohammed Ali Al-Badawi, who has been on the FBI's list of most wanted terrorists, was killed in the strike, US officials confirmed to CNN and Voice of America.
• Al-Badawi is said to be the man behind the bombing off the USS Cole in 2000 that killed 17 American sailors.

A US airstrike in Yemen on New Year's Day reportedly killed the terrorist mastermind believed to have orchestrated the deadly USS Cole bombing eighteen years ago.

Jamel Ahmed Mohammed Ali Al-Badawi, an al-Qaeda operative on the FBI's most wanted list, was killed during a strike in Yemen's Ma'rib Governorate, a US official told CNN. He was struck while driving alone. The US says there was no collateral damage.

Al-Badawi's death in Tuesday's airstrike was also confirmed by Voice of America, citing a defense official.

The bombing of the USS Cole, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, occurred while the warship was refueling at the harbor of Aden. On October 12, 2000, suicide bombers in a small boat filled with explosives attacked the ship, killing 17 US sailors and wounding another 39 people.

Al-Badawi has been picked up by Yemeni authorities multiple times since the bombing; however, he has repeatedly managed to escape justice.

After being arrested in December 2000, he escaped in 2003. He was apprehended a second time in 2004, but he managed to escape again two years later.

The FBI has been offering a reward of up to $5 million for information that would lead to his arrest.