Indonesian wife of alleged al-Qaida terrorist shocked at his death, awaiting confirmation

The Indonesian wife of alleged al-Qaida terrorist Omar al-Farouq said Tuesday she almost fainted when told that British forces in Iraq had killed him, but was not yet convinced the report was true.

"I still have faith he is still alive," Mira Agustina told el-Shinta radio, adding she was awaiting official confirmation of her husband's death.

British forces shot and killed al-Farouq in Iraq on Monday, more than a year after he embarrassed the U.S. military by making an unprecedented escape from a maximum security military prison in Afghanistan, officials said.

Al-Farouq was gunned down after he opened fire on British forces during a raid on his home in Basra, 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, British forces spokesman Maj. Charlie Burbridge said.

"I am shocked," Agustina, clad in a full-body black veil with only her eyes showing, told Metro TV. "I feel like fainting."

Agustina said she learned of the news through journalists, reports AP.

Her lawyer said he had not been informed, as did Indonesia's foreign ministry spokesman.

Al-Farouq was arrested in Indonesia in 2002 before being handed over to U.S. authorities.

He has been linked to thwarted plots on U.S. embassies in Southeast Asia, and is alleged to have been a key link between al-Qaida and regional terrorists.