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Anchored by Jake Tapper, The Lead airs at 4 p.m. ET on CNN.
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world lead
Master bomb-maker was creating undetectable explosives
French jihadist David Drudgeon was one of the most active bombmakers with in the Khorasan group, sources tell CNN. Drudgeon was allegedly killed in a U.S. air strike Thursday morning.
His knowledge of explosives, European-background and access to Western fighters in Syria makes him arguably one of the most dangerous terrorists in the world.
His mission was apparently to create very small, non-metallic explosive devices that could be smuggled through airport security and onto a U.S.-bound plane, where it would be assembled to blow up the airplane.
Drudgeon was working on a variety of bombs, sources tell CNN, that could be easily disguised in everyday objects, such as cell phones and toothpaste tubes.
CNN's Pamela Brown reports.
world lead
U.S. strike in Syria reportedly kills key bomb-maker
(CNN) - A U.S. airstrike in Syria appears to have killed a key French jihadist who is part of the militant Khorasan Group, a U.S. defense official said Thursday morning.
The strike happened overnight Wednesday near Idlib, according to the official, who has access to the latest information about the strikes.
The U.S. fired at a vehicle it believed carried David Drugeon, a skilled bomb-maker in his 20s who also has ties to core al Qaeda members in Pakistan, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
national lead
Ferguson braces for grand jury decision
(CNN) – The shooting death of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer exposed some deep wounds about race and class in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri, wounds that have yet to heal.
A decision from a grand jury on whether or not to indict Darren Wilson – the officer involved in that shooting – is expected any day now.
Many worry that if he isn't, there will be a repeat, or even an escalation of the chaos that unfolded in Ferguson in the days after Michael Brown was killed.
FULL POST
politics lead
'Bad boys' survive to win re-election
(CNN) – In today's red or blue political world, it's clear that candidates can get away with the slimiest, and most hypocritical behaviors ... as long as they're wearing the right jerseys.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux reports.
world lead
Fmr NCIS agent: Terrorists’ bombs, devices are ‘as broad as your imagination’
(CNN) – A U.S. airstrike in Syria appears to have killed a key French jihadist who is part of the militant Khorasan Group, a U.S. defense official said Thursday morning.
David Drugeon was a key bomb-maker with the group, with an evolving arsenal of deadly devices. He reportedly was working on a palm-sized explosive that could blow a hole in a Boeing 777.
How close was this bomb-maker to getting an explosive on an airplane?
Former NCIS special agent in charge Robert McFadden, now with The Soufan Group, joins CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" to discuss.
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