Fresh off the wires, more to follow. . .

Update: Fan-friggen-tastic!

(Fox News) — Abu Yahya Al-Libi is a rock star in the jihadist world. With his videos and lectures going viral on the Web, he is Al Qaeda’s Mr. YouTube.

On Monday, the top Al Qaeda operative was the intended target of the latest U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan, according to U.S. officials. The strikes have been increasingly unpopular among Pakistanis, but successful in recent years at taking out terrorist leaders.

Pakistan has evidence that Al-Libi was in a house hit by the U.S. drone strike, but it is unclear whether he was killed, intelligence officials said Tuesday. U.S. officials said they were “optimistic” he was among the eight militants reportedly killed in the strike in the tribal region of North Waziristan. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the classified nature of the drone program.

Militants and residents in the area told Pakistani agents that al-Libi was in the house when it was hit, said intelligence officials, also speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

A vehicle used by al-Libi was destroyed during the strike, said one of the officials. Agents intercepted a militant phone call indicating an Arab was killed in the attack, but it is unclear if they were talking about al-Libi, who was born in Libya, said the official.

A local Taliban chief said al-Libi’s guard and driver were killed in the strike, but the Al Qaeda commander was not there. Al-Libi did survive a previous strike, said the Taliban chief, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of being targeted by the Pakistani army.

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