Al-Qaeda's second-in-command was secretly killed in Iran in August, according to reports.
Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah was gunned down by Israeli operatives acting at the behest of the United States, the New York Times reported.
He is said to have been killed by two men on a motorcycle in Tehran.
Abdullah - commonly known as Abu Muhammad al-Masri - was accused of being the mastermind behind bombings on US embassies in Africa in 1998.
The explosions took place one near the US embassy in Nairobi, Kenya and the other in Dar el Salaam, Tanziania.
It is believed 224 people died and about 5,000 were injured in the attacks, according to CNN.
Masri was reportedly gunned down on August 7 - on the anniversary of the attacks.
The New York Times cited intelligence officials saying they had been tracking Masri and other al-Qaeda operatives in Iran for years.
It is not clear what, if any, role the United States had in the killing of the Egyptian-born militant.
A US official who spoke to Reuters declined to comment on the story and on any potential involvement by the United States.
Masri was killed along with his daughter Miriam, the widow of Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza bin Laden, the Times reported.
The killing has been the subject of rumours but neither Iran, Israel or the US have officially acknowledged it.
It is understood Masri had been in Iran's "custody" since 2003 but had been living freely in a suburb of Tehran since 2015.
US counter-terrorism officials believe Iran, also a US enemy, may have let them live there to conduct operations against US targets, the Times said.
He was reportedly seen as a likely successor to al Qaeda's current leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
It was not immediately known what, if any, impact Masri's death has had on al Qaeda's activities.
