A MEMORIAL DAY GIFT:

Qaeda Aide Believed Dead: Drone Attack in Pakistan Said to Have Killed No. 3 Official (SIOBHAN GORMAN, 6/01/10, WSJ)

Al Qaeda's third in command, who played key roles in a recently foiled terrorist plot against the U.S. and the 2001 terrorist attacks, is believed to have been killed by a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan's tribal areas, potentially dealing a significant blow to the terrorist network.

Sheik Sa'id al-Masri, al Qaeda's chief operating officer, was killed a little more than a week ago, according to two U.S. officials. [...]

Mr. Masri, in his mid-50s, is believed to have been a key al Qaeda official behind the plot of Najibullah Zazi, who plead guilty earlier this year to planning to blow up the New York subway. He also provided funds to three of the Sept. 11 hijackers, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. [...]

Also known as Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, Mr. Masri is an Egyptian who was a founding member of al Qaeda. He is believed to have served jail time with Mr. Zawahiri following the 1981 assasination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.

His death is "a major blow to al Qaeda," said Bruce Hoffman, a Georgetown University professor who writes extensively on al Qaeda. "He was an emerging star in al Qaeda's firmament and his death will be a grave setback to the organization."