http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_al-Aulaqi
U.S. officials say that as
imam at a mosque in
Falls Church, Virginia (2001-2002), which had 3,000 members, al-Aulaqi spoke with and preached to three of the
9/11 hijackers, who were al-Qaeda members.[SUP]
[20][/SUP] In 2001, he presided at the funeral of the mother of
Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who later e-mailed him extensively in 2008-2009 before the
Fort Hood shootings.[SUP]
[21][22][/SUP] During the period of Al-Alwaki's later radical period after 2006-2007, when he went into hiding, he was associated with
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian who attempted the 2009
Christmas Day bombing of an American airliner.[SUP]
[23][24][25][/SUP] Al-Alwaki was allegedly involved in planning the latter's attack.
The Yemeni government began trying him
in absentia in November 2010, for plotting to kill foreigners and being a member of al-Qaeda. A Yemeni judge ordered that he be captured "dead or alive."[SUP]
[26][27][/SUP] U.S. officials alleged that in 2009,
al-Aulaqi was promoted to the rank of "regional commander" within al-Qaeda.[SUP][28][29][/SUP] He repeatedly called for jihad against the United States.[SUP][30][31][/SUP]
From 1996Ā2000, Al-Alwaki served as imam of the
Masjid Ar-Ribat al-Islami mosque at the edge of
San Diego, California, where he had a following of 200Ā300 people.[SUP]
[1][10][50][54][60][66][/SUP] U.S. officials would later allege that
Nawaf al-Hazmi and
Khalid al-Mihdhar, who became the hijackers of
American Airlines Flight 77, attended his sermons and met personally with Aulaqi during this period. Hazmi later lived in
Northern Virginia and attended Aulaqi's mosque there. The
9/11 Commission Report said that the hijackers "reportedly respected [al-Awlaki] as a religious figure".[SUP]
[20][50][52][66][/SUP] While in San Diego, Al-Aulaqi was known for the time he spent with youth, for his interest in fishing, for his discussions of travels with friends, and for a popular and lucrative series of lectures that he recorded.[SUP]
[50][/SUP]
When police investigating the 9/11 attacks raided the Hamburg, Germany, apartment of
Ramzi bin al-Shibh, they found the telephone number of Al-Aulaqi among bin al-Shibh's personal contacts.[SUP]
[10][54][/SUP] The FBI interviewed al-Aulaqi four times in the eight days following the 9/11 attacks.[SUP]
[1][50][/SUP] One detective later told the 9/11 Commission he believed al-Aulaqi "was at the center of the 9/11 story". And an FBI agent said,"if anyone had knowledge of the plot, it would have been" him, since "someone had to be in the U.S. and keep the hijackers spiritually focused".[SUP]
[50][/SUP] One 9/11 Commission staff member said: "Do I think he played a role in helping the hijackers here, knowing they were up to something? Yes.
Al-Awlaki has provided al-Qaeda members in Yemen with the protection of his powerful tribe, the Awlakis, against the government. The tribal code required it to protect those who seek refuge and assistance. This imperative has greater force when the person is a member of the tribe, or a tribesman's friend. The tribe's motto is "We are the sparks of Hell; whomever interferes with us will be burned."[SUP]
[109[/SUP]
Sought by Yemeni authorities with regard to an investigation into his al-Qaeda ties, al-Aulaqi avoided detection. According to his father, al-Aulaqi disappeared and went into hiding in approximately March 2009. By December 2009, al-Aulaqi was on the Yemen government's most-wanted list.[SUP]
[111][/SUP] He was believed to be hiding in Yemen's rugged
Shabwa or
Mareb regions, which are part of the so-called "triangle of evil." (It is known as an area attracting al-Qaeda militants seeking refuge among local tribes who are unhappy with Yemen's central government).[SUP]
[112][/SUP]
FBI agents had identified al-Aulaqi as a known, important "senior recruiter for al Qaeda", and a spiritual motivator.[SUP]
[63][130][/SUP]
Al-Aulaqi's name came up in a dozen terrorism plots in the U.S., UK, and
Canada. The cases included suicide bombers in the
2005 London bombings, radical Islamic terrorists in the
2006 Toronto terrorism case, radical Islamic terrorists in the
2007 Fort Dix attack plot, the
jihadist killer in the
2009 Little Rock military recruiting office shooting, and the 2010
Times Square bomber. In each case the suspects were devoted to al-Aulaqi's message, which they listened to on laptops, audio clips, and CDs.[SUP]
[20][46][50][131][/SUP]
Al-Aulaqi's recorded lectures were also an inspiration to Islamist fundamentalists who comprised at least six terror cells in the UK through 2009.[SUP]
[96][/SUP]
Michael Finton (Talib Islam), who attempted in September 2009, to bomb the Federal Building and the adjacent offices of Congressman
Aaron Schock in Springfield, Illinois, admired al-Aulaqi and quoted him on his
Myspace page.[SUP]
[132][/SUP] In addition to his website, al-Aulaqi had a Facebook fan page[SUP]
[133][/SUP] with a substantial percentage of "fans" from the U.S., many of whom were high school students.[SUP]
[8][/SUP]
Al-Aulaqi influenced several other extremists to join terrorist organizations overseas and to carry out terrorist attacks in their home countries.
Mohamed Alessa and
Carlos Almonte­, two American citizens from New Jersey who attempted to travel to Somalia in June 2010 to join
Al Shabaab, the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group based there­Āallegedly watched several al-Aulaqi videos and sermons in which al-Aulaqi warned of future attacks against Americans in the U.S. and abroad.[SUP]
[134][/SUP]
Zachary Chesser (nicknamed Abu Talha al-Amrikee), another American citizen who was arrested for attempting to provide material support to Al Shabaab, also told federal authorities that he watched online videos featuring al-Aulaqi and that he exchanged several e-mails with al-Aulaqi.[SUP]
[135][136][/SUP] In July 2010, Paul Rockwood pleaded guilty to, and received an eight-year prison sentence for, assembling a
hit list of 15 targets for assassination or bomb attacks within the U.S. of people who he felt had desecrated Islam.[SUP]
[136][/SUP] Rockwood admitted to having become a "strict adherent to the violent
jihad-promoting ideology of cleric [Awlaki]", which "included a personal conviction that it was [Rockwood's] religious responsibility to exact revenge by death on anyone who desecrated Islam", and following al-Aulaqi's ideology, "including devotion to [Awlaki's] violence-promoting works,
Constants on the Path to Jihad and
44 Ways to Jihad".[SUP]
[136][/SUP]
Fort Hood shootings suspect
Nidal Malik Hasan was investigated by the FBI after intelligence agencies intercepted at least 18 e-mails between him and al-Aulaqi between December 2008 and June 2009.[SUP]
[139][/SUP] Even before the contents of the e-mails were revealed, terrorism expert
Jarret Brachman said that Hasan's contacts with al-Aulaqi should have raised "huge
red flags". According to Brachman, al-Aulaqi is a major influence on radical English-speaking
jihadis internationally.[SUP]
[140][/SUP]
The Wall Street Journal reported that "There is no indication Mr. Awlaki played a direct role in any of the attacks, and he has never been indicted in the U.S."[SUP]
[109][/SUP]
In one of the e-mails, Hasan wrote al-Aulaqi: "I can't wait to join you [in the afterlife]". "It sounds like
code words," said Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer, a military analyst at the
Center for Advanced Defense Studies. "That he's actually either offering himself up, or that he's already crossed that line in his own mind." Hasan also asked al-Aulaqi when
jihad is appropriate, and whether it is permissible if innocents are killed in a suicide attack.[SUP]
[21][/SUP] In the months before the attacks, Hasan increased his contacts with al-Aulaqi to discuss how to transfer funds abroad without coming to the attention of law authorities.[SUP]
[139][/SUP]
In "44 Ways to Support
Jihad", another sermon posted on his blog in February 2009, al-Aulaqi encouraged others to "fight
jihad", and explained how to give money to the
mujahideen or their families after they've died. Al-Aulaqi's sermon also encouraged others to conduct weapons training, and raise children "on the love of
Jihad".[SUP]
[144][/SUP] Also that month,
he wrote: "I pray that Allah destroys America and all its allies."[SUP][143][/SUP] He wrote as well: "We will implement the rule of Allah on Earth by the tip of the sword, whether the masses like it or not."[SUP][143][/SUP] On July 14, he criticized armies of Muslim countries that assist the U.S. military, saying, "the blame should be placed on the soldier who is willing to follow orders ... who sells his religion for a few dollars."[SUP][143][/SUP] In a sermon on his blog on July 15, 2009, entitled "Fighting Against Government Armies in the Muslim World", al-Aulaqi wrote, "Blessed are those who fight against [American soldiers], and blessed are those
shuhada [martyrs] who are killed by them."[SUP]
[144][145][/SUP]
Al-Aulaqi and
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the convicted al-Qaeda attempted bomber of
Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on December 25, 2009, had contacts according to a number of sources. In January 2010, CNN reported that U.S. "security sources" said that there is concrete evidence that al-Aulaqi was Abdulmutallab's recruiter and one of his trainers, and met with him prior to the attack.[SUP]
[153][/SUP] In February 2010, al-Aulaqi admitted in an interview published in
al-Jazeera that he taught and corresponded with Abdulmutallab, but denied having ordered the attack.[SUP]
[154][155][156][/SUP]
In January 2010, White House lawyers considered the legality of attempting to kill al-Aulaqi, given his U.S. citizenship. Opportunities to do so "may have been missed" because of legal questions surrounding such an attack.[SUP]
[199][/SUP] But on February 4, 2010,
New York Daily News reported that al-Aulaqi was "now on a targeting list signed off on by the Obama administration".[SUP]
[200][/SUP]
On April 6,
The New York Times also reported that President Obama had authorized the killing of al-Aulaqi.[SUP]
[33][/SUP] The CIA and the U.S. military both maintain lists of terrorists linked to al-Qaeda and its affiliates who are approved for capture or killing.[SUP]
[33][/SUP]
Because he is a U.S. citizen, his inclusion on those lists was approved by the National Security Council.[SUP][33][/SUP] U.S. officials said it is extremely rare, if not unprecedented, for an American to be approved for targeted killing.[SUP][33][/SUP] The New York Times reported that international law allows the use of lethal force against people who pose an imminent threat to a country, and U.S. officials said that was the standard used in adding names to the target list.[SUP][33][/SUP] In addition, Congress approved the use of military force against al-Qaeda after 9/11.[SUP][33][/SUP]
The powerful al-Awalik tribe responded "We warn against cooperating with America to kill Sheikh Anwar al-Awlaki. We will not stand by idly and watch."[SUP][201][/SUP] Al-Aulaqi's tribe wrote that it would "not remain with arms crossed if a hair of Anwar al-Awlaki is touched, or if anyone plots or spies against him. Whoever risks denouncing our son (Awlaki) will be the target of Al-Awalik weapons," and gave warning "against co-operating with the Americans" in the capture or killing of al-Awlaki.[SUP]
[203][/SUP] Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, the Yemeni foreign minister, followed by announcing that the Yemeni government had not received any evidence from the U.S., and that "Anwar al-Awlaki has always been looked at as a preacher rather than a terrorist and shouldn't be considered as a terrorist unless the Americans have evidence that he has been involved in terrorism".[SUP]
[203][/SUP]
In a video clip bearing the imprint of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, issued on April 16 in al-Qaeda's monthly magazine
Sada Al-Malahem, al-Aulaqi said: "What am I accused of? Of calling for the truth? Of calling for
jihad for the sake of Allah? Of calling to defend the causes of the Islamic nation?".
[SUP][206][/SUP] In the video he also praises both Abdulmutallab and Hasan, and describes both as his "students".[SUP][207][/SUP]
A few days later, the
United Nations Security Council placed al-Aulaqi on its
UN Security Council Resolution 1267 list of individuals associated with al-Qaeda, saying in its summary of reasons that he is a leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and was involved in recruiting and training camps.[SUP]
[211][/SUP] That required U.N. member states to freeze his assets, impose a travel ban on him, and prevent weapons from landing in his hands.[SUP]
[212][/SUP] The following week, the Canadian government ordered financial institutions to look for and seize any property linked to al-Aulaqi, and the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police's senior counter-terrorism officer Gilles Michaud singled out al-Aulaqi as a "major, major factor in radicalization".[SUP]
[211][/SUP] In September 2010,
Jonathan Evans, the Director General of the United Kingdom's domestic security and counter-intelligence agency (
MI5), said that al-Aulaqi was the West's Public Enemy No 1.[SUP]
[213][/SUP]
Al-Aulaqi was charged
in absentia in Sana'a, Yemen, on November 2 with plotting to kill foreigners and being a member of al-Qaeda.[SUP]
[216][/SUP] Ali al-Saneaa, the head of the prosecutor's office, announced the charges as part of a trial against another man, Hisham Assem, who had been accused of killing a Frenchman, also saying that al-Aulaqi corresponded with Assem for months, encouraging him to kill foreigners.[SUP]
[216][217][/SUP] The prosecutor said:
Yesterday a regular visitor of bars and discotheques in America ... Awlaki today has become the catalyst for shedding the blood of foreigners and security forces. He was chosen by Al-Qaeda to be the lead in many of their criminal operations in Yemen. Awlaki is a figure prone to evil devoid of any conscience, religion, or law.[SUP]
[218][/SUP]
In a video posted to the internet on November 8, 2010, al-Aulaqi called for Muslims around the world to kill Americans "without hesitation", and overthrow Arab leaders. He said that no fatwa (special clerical ruling) is required to kill Americans: "Don't consult with anyone in fighting the Americans, fighting the devil doesn't require consultation or prayers or seeking divine guidance. They are the party of the devils."[SUP][31][220][/SUP] That month, Intelligence Research Specialist Kevin Yorke of the New York Police Department's Counterterrorism Division called him "the most dangerous man in the world".[SUP][221][222][/SUP]
United States officials stated that the "
imminent threat" international legal standard was used to add al-Aulakqi's name to the C.I.A.'s list of people targeted for killing.[SUP]
[33][/SUP]
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