Anwar al-Awlaki: Difference between revisions

Anwar al-Awlaki
Born	Anwar Nasser Abdulla Aulaqi (1971-04-22) April 22, 1971 (age 53)[1][2][3] Las Cruces, New Mexico
Alma mater	Colorado State University; San Diego State University; The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development
Occupation(s)	lecturer former Imam
Employer	Iman University (formerly)
Known for	Accused of being senior Al-Qaeda recruiter and motivator linked to various terrorists

Anwar al-Awlaki (also spelled Aulaqi; Arabic: أنور العولقي Anwar al-‘Awlaqī; born (1971-04-22) April 22, 1971 (age 53) in Las Cruces, New Mexico) is an American Muslim lecturer, spiritual leader, and former imam who U.S. government officials and numerous sources say incites terrorism and is tied to the terrorist organization al-Qaeda.^[3][4][5][6] Al-Awlaki has denied many of the charges,^[7][4][8] and one academic analyst opined that the alleged ties to al-Qaeda are "more speculative and assumed than concrete."^[9] U.S. President Barack Obama approved the targeted killing of al-Awlaki. That step required the consent of the United States National Security Council, and made al-Awlaki the first U.S. citizen ever to be placed on the list of those whom the CIA is allowed to kill.^[10][11][12]

Al-Awlaki reportedly met privately with at least two of the 9/11 hijackers.^[13][14] Due to those contacts, investigators suspect al-Awlaki may have known about the 9/11 attacks in advance.^[13] In 2009, unnamed U.S. officials stated that he had been promoted to the rank of "regional commander" within al-Qaeda, acting as an inspirational, rather than an operational, leader.^[8][15]

U.S. intelligence intercepted emails between al-Awlaki and accused Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan,^[16][17] and al-Awlaki praised Hasan's actions after the Fort Hood shooting.^[18][19] "Christmas Day bomber" Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab implicated al-Awlaki in some elements of planning or preparing his failed attack, according to unnamed U.S. officials.^[20] The Wall Street Journal reported in January 2010, three months prior to President Obama authorizing his targeted killing, that there was no indication al-Awlaki: "played a direct role in any of the attacks, and he has never been indicted in the U.S."^[21] As of early 2010, he was thought to be living in Yemen.^[7] In March 2010, al‑Awlaki said in a videotape delivered to CNN that jihad against America was binding upon himself and every other able Muslim.^[22][23]

Al-Awlaki's parents are from Yemen. Al-Awlaki's father, Nasser al-Aulaqi, earned a master's degree in agricultural economics at New Mexico State University in 1971, received a doctorate at the University of Nebraska, and worked at the University of Minnesota from 1975 to 1977.^[6][24]

The family returned to Yemen in 1978,^[2] where al-Awlaki lived for 11 years and studied at Azal Modern School.^[25] His father served as Agriculture Minister and as president of Sanaa University.^[6][24][26] Yemen's Prime Minister since March 2007, Ali Mohammed Mujur, is a relative of al-Awlaki.^[27]

Al-Awlaki returned to Colorado in 1991 to attend college. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University (1994), which he attended on a foreign student visa and Yemeni government scholarship, reportedly by claiming to be foreign born,^[28] where he was President of the Muslim Student Association.^[29] He also earned an M.A. in Education Leadership from San Diego State University. He worked on a Doctorate degree in Human Resource Development at George Washington University Graduate School of Education & Human Development from January to December 2001.^{[4][24][30][31][32][33][34]}

His Islamic education consists of a few intermittent months with various scholars, and reading works by several prominent Islamic scholars.^[35] Muslim scholars say they do not understand his popularity. Although al‑Awlaki lacks formal Islamic training or study, he speaks fluent English and can therefore reach a large non-Arabic-speaking audience.^[36] Douglas Murray, executive director of the Centre for Social Cohesion, a think tank that studies British radicalization, says, "they will routinely describe Awlaki as a vital and highly respected scholar, [while he] is actually an al-Qaida-affiliate nut case."^[36]

Al-Awlaki has been called an Islamic fundamentalist and is accused of encouraging terrorism.^{[26][31][37][38]} According to some analysts, al-Awlaki is an adherent of the Wahhabi fundamentalist sect of Islam.^[37][38] Harry Helms, author of a book on 9/11, called his sermons extremely anti-Israel and pro-jihad.^[37] Salafi observers of his statements say that al-Awlaki was initially a more "moderate" Muslim Brotherhood preacher, but when the U.S. began its post-9/11 "war on terror" he appeared to develop animosity towards the U.S. and began to embrace Takfiri and Jihadi, while still retaining Qutbism.^[39]

He has been noted for attracting young men with his lectures, especially U.S.-based and Britain-based Muslims.^[40][41] Terrorism consultant Evan Kohlmann calls al-Awlaki "one of the principal jihadi luminaries for would-be homegrown terrorists. His fluency with English, his unabashed advocacy of jihad and mujahideen organizations, and his Web-savvy approach are a powerful combination." He calls al-Awlaki's lecture "Constants on the Path of Jihad", which he says was based on a similar document written by al-Qaeda's founder, the "virtual bible for lone-wolf Muslim extremists."^[42] Philip Mudd, formerly of the C.I.A.’s Counterterrorism Center and the F.B.I.'s top intelligence adviser, said: "He’s a magnetic character. He’s a powerful orator."^[43]

Al-Awlaki had set up a website, with a blog on which he shared his views.^[44] On December 11, 2008, he condemned any Muslim who seeks a religious decree "that would allow him to serve in the armies of the disbelievers and fight against his brothers."^[44]

In "44 Ways to Support Jihad," another sermon posted on his blog in February 2009, al-Awlaki encouraged others to "fight jihad", and explained how to give money to the mujahideen or their families after they've died. Al-Awlaki's sermon also encouraged others to conduct weapons training, and raise children "on the love of Jihad."^[45] Also that month, he wrote: "I pray that Allah destroys America and all its allies."^[44] 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."^[44] 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."^[44] In a sermon on his blog on July 15, 2009, entitled "Fighting Against Government Armies in the Muslim World," al-Awlaki wrote, "Blessed are those who fight against [American soldiers], and blessed are those shuhada [martyrs] who are killed by them."^[45][46]

In 1994, al-Awlaki married a cousin from Yemen.^[47] Al-Awlaki served as Imam of the Denver Islamic Society from 1994–96. While he preached eloquently against vice and sin, he left two weeks after being chastised by an elder for encouraging jihad.^[48] He then served as Imam of the Masjid Ar-Ribat al-Islami mosque at the edge of San Diego, California, from 1996–2000.^{[31][49][14][4][50]}

Although he hesitated to shake hands with women, he patronized prostitutes.^[51] Al-Awlaki was arrested in San Diego in August 1996 and in April 1997 for soliciting prostitutes.^{[13][26][52][53]} In the first instance, he pled guilty to a lesser charge on condition of entering an AIDS education program and paying $400 in fines and restitution.^[53] The second time, he pled guilty to soliciting a prostitute, and was sentenced to three years' probation, fined $240, and ordered to perform 12 days of community service.^[53]

In 1998 and 1999, he served as Vice President for the Charitable Society for Social Welfare (CSSW) in San Diego, founded by Abdul Majeed al-Zindani.^[31] During a terrorism trial, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent Brian Murphy testified that CSSW was a “front organization to funnel money to terrorists,” and U.S. federal prosecutors have described it as being used to support Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.^[31][54] The FBI investigated al-Awlaki beginning in June 1999 through March 2000 for possible fundraising for Hamas, links to al-Qaeda, and a visit in early 2000 by a close associate of "the Blind Sheik" Omar Abdel Rahman (who was serving a life sentence for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center attack, and plotting to blow up NYC landmarks). The FBI's interest was also triggered because he had been contacted by an al-Qaeda operative who had bought a battery for bin Laden's satellite phone, Ziyad Khaleel.^[55] But it was unable to unearth sufficient evidence for a criminal prosecution.^{[4][13][14][31][35][37]}

Planning for the 9/11 attack and USS Cole bombing was discussed at the Kuala Lumpur al-Qaeda Summit. Among the planners were two of the 9/11 hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77, which hit the Pentagon, (Nawaf Al-Hazmi and Khalid Almihdhar). They then traveled to San Diego, where witnesses told the FBI they had a close relationship with al-Awlaki in 2000 and he served as their spiritual adviser. They were also frequently visited there by pilot Hani Hanjour.^[13][31][56] The 9/11 Commission Report indicated that the hijackers also "reportedly respected [al-Awlaki] as a religious figure."^[30] Authorities say the two hijackers regularly attended the mosque al-Awlaki led in San Diego, and he had many long closed-door meetings with them, which led investigators to believe al-Awlaki knew about the 9/11 attacks in advance.^[13][14][57]

On June 10, 2000, al-Mihdhar left San Diego to visit his wife in Yemen at a house which was also used as a communications hub for al-Qaeda.^[58][59][60] Yemeni Prime Minister Abdul Karim al-Iryani reported that al-Mihdhar had been one of the key planners of the USS Cole bombing.^[61]

Al-Awlaki told reporters that he resigned his leadership of the San Diego mosque "after an uneventful four years". He took a brief sabbatical and a trip overseas to "various countries". Al-Awlaki sought a larger mosque near where he could finish his doctorate degree in human resource development.^[30][62]

In January 2001, he became the spiritual leader of the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in the Falls Church metropolitan Washington, DC, area, and was also the Muslim Chaplain at George Washington University.^{[4][31][30][63]} Esam Omeish hired al-Awlaki to be the mosque's imam.^[64][65] Omeish said in 2004 that he was convinced that al-Awlaki: "has no inclination or active involvement in any events or circumstances that have to do with terrorism."^[66]

Fluent in English, known for giving eloquent talks on Islam and attracting young non-Arabic speakers, al-Awlaki "was the magic bullet," according to mosque spokesman Johari Abdul-Malik; "he had everything all in a box."^[66] "He had an allure. He was charming."^[67]

Soon afterward, his sermons were attended by two of the 9/11 hijackers (Al-Hazmi again, and Hani Hanjour, which the 9/11 Commission Report concluded "may not have been coincidental"), and by Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan.^{[13][14][68][69]} When police investigating the 9/11 attacks raided the Hamburg, Germany, apartment of Ramzi Binalshibh (the "20th hijacker"), his telephone number was found among Binalshibh's personal contact information.^[4][31][70]

The FBI interviewed al-Awlaki four times in the days following the 9/11 attacks. ^[71] One detective told the 9/11 Commission he believed al-Awlaki “was at the center of the 9/11 story,” and an F.B.I. agent said that “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.” ^[72] 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. Do I think he was sent here for that purpose? I have no evidence for it." ^[73] A separate Congressional Joint Inquiry into the 9/11 attacks suspected that al-Awlaki might have been part of a support network for the hijackers, according to its director, Eleanor Hill.^[74] "In my view, he is more than a coincidental figure," said House Intelligence Committee member Representative Anna Eshoo (D-CA).^[53]

Writing on the IslamOnline.net website six days after the 9/11 attacks, Awlaki suggested that Israeli intelligence agents might have been responsible for the attacks, and that the FBI "went into the roster of the airplanes and whoever has a Muslim or Arab name became the hijacker by default."^[31]

The FBI conducted extensive investigations of al-Awlaki, and he was observed crossing state lines with prostitutes in the D.C. area.^[13][31] To arrest him, the FBI considered invoking the little-used Mann Act, a federal law prohibiting interstate transport of women for "immoral purposes."^[75] But before investigators could detain him, al-Awlaki left for Yemen in March 2002.^[13][31]

Weeks later he posted an essay in Arabic titled "Why Muslims Love Death" on the Islam Today website, praising the Palestinian suicide bombers' fervor, and months later at a videotaped lecture in a London mosque, he lauded them in English.^[13][31] By July 2002, he was under investigation for having been sent money by the subject of an U.S. Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation. His name was placed on an early version of what is now the federal terror watch list.^[4][13][76]

In October 2002, a Denver federal judge signed off on an arrest warrant for al-Awlaki for passport fraud. Just days later, on October 9, the Denver U.S. Attorney's Office rescinded it.^[4][13] The prosecutors withdrew the warrant because they felt they ultimately lacked evidence of a crime, according to U.S. Attorney Dave Gaouette, who authorized its withdrawal.^[3] While al-Awlaki had listed Yemen as his place of birth (which the prosecutors believed was false) on his original application for a U.S. social security number in 1990, which he then used to obtain a passport in 1993, later changing his place of birth information to Las Cruces, New Mexico.^[3][77] Prosecutors could not charge him, because a 10-year statute of limitations on lying to the Social Security Administration had expired.^[78] As a result, agents were unable to arrest him when he returned to John F. Kennedy International Airport in the U.S. on October 10, 2002—the following day.^[4][13] ABC News reported that the decision to cancel the arrest warrant outraged members of a Joint Terrorism Task Force in San Diego who were monitoring al-Awlaki and wanted to "look at him under a microscope". But Gaouette said there was no objection to the warrant being rescinded during a meeting attended by Ray Fournier, the San Diego federal diplomatic security agent whose allegation had set in motion the effort to obtain a warrant.^[3] Gaouette opined that if al-Awlaki had been convicted, he would have faced about 6 months in custody.^[79] "The bizarre thing is if you put Yemen down (on the application), it would be harder to get a Social Security number than to say you are a native-born citizen of Las Cruces," Gaouette said.^[3] The New York Times noted, however, that he apparently did it to qualify for scholarship money given to foreign citizens.^[80]

Al-Awlaki then returned briefly to Northern Virginia, where he visited radical Islamic cleric Ali al-Timimi, and asked about recruiting young Muslims for "violent jihad." Al-Timimi is now serving a life sentence for leading what would be called the Virginia Jihad Network, inciting Muslim followers to fight with the Taliban against the U.S.^[13][31][81]

Al-Awlaki left the U.S. before the end of 2002, because of a "climate of fear and intimidation" according to Imam Johari Abdul-Malik of the Dar al-Hijrah mosque.

Moving to the UK, He spent several months in Britain, giving talks to up to 200 youths.^[82] He urged young Muslim followers never to believe a non-Muslim (kuffar, in Arabic), saying: "The important lesson to learn here is never, ever trust a kuffar. Do not trust them! [They] are “plotting to kill this religion. They’re plotting night and day."^[83] "He was the main man who translated the jihad into English," said a student who attended his lectures in 2003.^[84]

He gave a series of lectures in December 2002 and January 2003 at the London Masjid at-Tawhid mosque, describing the rewards martyrs receive in paradise, and developing a following among ultraconservative young Muslims.^{[4][13][24][31][85]} He was also a "distinguished guest" speaker at the U.K.’s Federation of Student Islamic Societies’ annual dinner in 2003.^[86] In Britain's Parliament in 2003, Louise Ellman, MP for Liverpool Riverside, discussed a relationship between al-Awlaki and the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), a Muslim Brotherhood front organization founded by Kemal el-Helbawy, a senior member of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.^[87]

Al-Awlaki returned to Yemen in early 2004, and lived in his ancestral village in the southern province of Shabwa with his wife and five children.^[13][31] He lectured at Iman University, headed by Abdul Majeed al-Zindani.^[24] al-Zindani is on the UN 1267 Committee's list^[88] of individuals belonging to or associated with Al-Qaida. Some believe that the school's curriculum deals mostly, if not exclusively, with radical Islamic studies, and that it is an incubator of radicalism.^[24][89] Al-Zindani denied having any influence over al-Awlaki, or that he had been his "direct teacher."^[90]

On August 31, 2006, al-Awlaki was among a group of five Yemenis arrested on charges of kidnapping a Shiite teenager for ransom, and involvement in an al-Qaeda plot to kidnap a U.S. military attaché.^[6][67] Al-Awlaki blames the U.S. for pressuring Yemeni authorities to arrest him, and says that he was interviewed around September 2007 by FBI agents with regard to the 9/11 attacks and other subjects. Gregory Johnsen, a Yemen expert, noted that his name was on a list of 100 prisoners whose release was sought by al-Qaida-linked militants in Yemen.^[38] After 18 months in a Yemeni prison, he was released on December 12, 2007, following the intercession of his tribe, and— according to a Yemeni security official— because he said he repented.^{[26][38][67][91]} He reportedly moved to his family home in Saeed, a tiny hamlet in the Shabwa mountains.^[67]

In December 2008, he sent a communique to the Somalian terrorist group Al-Shabaab, congratulating them. He thanked them for "giving us a living example of how we as Muslims should proceed to change our situation. The ballot has failed us, but the bullet has not". In conclusion, he wrote: "if my circumstances would have allowed, I would not have hesitated in joining you and being a soldier in your ranks".^[92]

He provides al-Qaeda members in Yemen with the protection of his powerful tribe, the Awlakis, against the government. The tribal code requires it to protect those who seek refuge and assistance, and this is an even greater imperative where 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."^[21] Al-Awlaki has also reportedly helped negotiate deals with other tribal leaders".^[67][94]

Sought now by Yemeni authorities with regard to a new investigation into his al-Qaeda ties, the authorities have been unable to locate al-Awlaki, who according to his father disappeared approximately March 2009. By December 2009, al-Awlaki was on the Yemen government's most-wanted list.^[95] He was believed to be hiding in Yemen's rugged Shabwa or Mareb regions, which are part of the so-called "triangle of evil" (known as such because it attracts al-Qaeda militants seeking refuge among local tribes that are unhappy with Yemen's central government).^[70]

Reports quoting Yemeni sources originally said al-Awlaki might have been killed in a pre-dawn air strike by Yemeni Air Force fighter jets on a meeting of senior al-Qaeda leaders at a hideout in Rafd, a remote mountain valley in eastern Shabwa, on December 24, 2009. But the working assumption now is that he survived.^[96] Pravda reported that the planes, using Saudi Arabian and U.S. intelligence aid, killed at least 30 al-Qaeda members from Yemen and abroad, and that an al-Awlaki house was "raided and demolished". ABC News reported the dead might include Naser Abdel Karim al-Wahishi (the region's al-Qaeda leader), Saeed al-Shehri (the region's No. 2 al-Qaeda leader), and al-Awlaki.^[97] On December 28 The Washington Post reported that anonymous U.S. and Yemeni officials said that al-Awlaki was at the al-Qaeda meeting, but his fate was still unknown.^[98]

Al-Awlaki's relatives did not believe he was among those killed, however.^[99] And according to Abdul Elah al-Shaya, a Yemeni journalist, the former imam called him on December 28, 2009, and said that the claims of his death by the Yemeni government were "lies," and that he was well. The journalist said that al-Awlaki told him that he had been home at the time of the bombing, and did not attend the al-Qaeda meeting. Al-Shaya insisted that al-Awlaki is not tied to al-Qaeda, and declined to comment as to whether al-Awlaki had told him about any contacts he may have had with Abdulmutallab. According to Gregory Johnsen, a Yemeni expert at Princeton University, the journalist is generally reliable.^[100] Yemen's Deputy Prime Minister for Defense and Security Affairs also said he believed al-Awlaki is alive.^[101]

CNN reported in March 2010 they had received a 12-minute-long audio tape pledging jihad against the United States. In that tape, a voice identifying himself al-Awlaki stated as follows:

I for one, was born in the U.S., and lived in the U.S. for 21 years. America was my home. I was a preacher of Islam involved in non-violent Islamic activism. However, with the American invasion of Iraq and continued U.S. aggression against Muslims, I could not reconcile between living in the U.S. and being a Muslim, and I eventually came to the conclusion that jihad against America is binding upon myself just as it is binding on every other able Muslim.

CNN further reported that independent sources advised them that the voice on the recording is al-Awlaki’s and the “recording is genuine.” ^[22][23]

Despite being banned from entering England in 2006, al-Awlaki spoke on at least seven occasions at five different venues around Britain via video-link in 2007–09.^[102] He gave a number of video-link lectures at the East London Mosque during this period. In one instance, the mosque provoked the outrage of The Daily Telegraph by hosting a video-teleconference by al-Awlaki in 2008, and former Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve expressed concern over al-Awlaki's involvement.^[103] On New Year's Day 2009, the mosque played a pre-recorded video lecture by al-Awlaki, with a poster depicting New York in flames.^[104][105]

He also gave video-link talks in England to an Islamic student society at the University of Westminster in September 2008, an arts center in East London in April 2009 (after the Tower Hamlets council gave its approval), worshippers at the Al Huda Mosque in Bradford, and a dinner of the Cageprisoners organization in September 2008 at the Wandsworth Civic Centre in South London (at which he said: "We should make jihad for our brothers").^{[102][106][107]} On August 23, 2009, al-Awlaki was banned by local authorities in Kensington and Chelsea, London, from speaking at Kensington Town Hall via videolink to a fundraiser dinner for Guantanamo detainees promoted by Cageprisoners.^[108][106] His videos, which discuss his Islamist theories, have also circulated in England, and until February 2010 hundreds of audio tapes of his sermons were available at the Tower Hamlets public libraries.^{[109][110][111][112]}

FBI agents have identified al-Awlaki as a known, important "senior recruiter for al Qaeda", and a spiritual motivator.^[38][113]

Al-Awlaki'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, and Faisal Shahzad, charged in the 2010 Times Square attempted bombing. In each case the suspects were devoted to al-Awlaki's message, which they listened to on laptops, audio clips, and CDs.^{[13][26][114][115]}

Al-Awlaki’s recorded lectures were also an inspiration to Islamist fundamentalists who comprised at least six terror cells in the UK through 2009.^[82] 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-Awlaki and quoted him on his Myspace page.^[116] In addition to his website, al-Awlaki had a Facebook fan page, with a substantial percentage of "fans" from the U.S., many of whom were high school students.^[35]

In October 2008, Charles Allen, US Undersecretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis, warned that al-Awlaki "targets US Muslims with radical online lectures encouraging terrorist attacks from his new home in Yemen."^[117][118] Responding to Allen, Al-Awlaki wrote on his website in December 2008: "I would challenge him to come up with just one such lecture where I encourage 'terrorist attacks'".^[119]

Fort Hood shootings suspect Nidal Malik Hasan was investigated by the FBI after intelligence agencies intercepted at least 18 emails between him and al-Awlaki between December 2008 and June 2009.^[120] Terrorism expert Jarret Brachman said that Hasan's contacts with al-Awlaki should have raised "huge red flags". ^[121] 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."^[21]

In one of the emails, Hasan wrote al-Awlaki: "I can't wait to join you [in the afterlife]". Hasan also asked al-Awlaki when jihad is appropriate, and whether it is permissible if innocents are killed in a suicide attack.^[122] In the months before the attacks, Hasan increased his contacts with al-Awlaki to discuss how to transfer funds abroad without coming to the attention of law authorities.^[120]

A DC-based FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force was notified of the emails, and the information reviewed. Army employees were informed of the emails, but they didn't perceive any terrorist threat in Hasan's questions. Instead, they viewed them as general questions about spiritual guidance with regard to conflicts between Islam and military service, and judged them to be consistent with legitimate mental health research about Muslims in the armed services.^[123] The assessment was that there was not sufficient information for a larger investigation.^[124]

After the Fort Hood shooting, on his now temporarily inoperable website (apparently because some web hosting companies took it down),^[26] al-Awlaki praised Hasan's actions:^[18]

Nidal Hassan is a hero. He is a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people.... Any decent Muslim cannot live, understanding properly his duties towards his Creator and his fellow Muslims, and yet serve as a US soldier. The U.S. is leading the war against terrorism which in reality is a war against Islam. Its army is directly invading two Muslim countries and indirectly occupying the rest through its stooges.

Nidal opened fire on soldiers who were on their way to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. How can there be any dispute about the virtue of what he has done? In fact the only way a Muslim could Islamically justify serving as a soldier in the US army is if his intention is to follow the footsteps of men like Nidal.^[125][126]

Yemeni journalist Abdulelah Hider Shaea interviewed al-Awlaki in November 2009.^[16] Al-Awlaki acknowledged his correspondence with Hasan. He said he "neither ordered nor pressured ... Hasan to harm Americans". Al-Awlaki said Hasan first e-mailed him December 17, 2008, introducing himself by writing: "Do you remember me? I used to pray with you at the Virginia mosque." Hasan said he had become a devout Muslim around the time al-Awlaki was preaching at Dar al-Hijrah, in 2001 and 2002, and al-Awlaki said 'Maybe Nidal was affected by one of my lectures.'" He added: "It was clear from his e-mails that Nidal trusted me. Nidal told me: 'I speak with you about issues that I never speak with anyone else.'" Al-Awlaki said Hasan arrived at his own conclusions regarding the acceptability of violence in Islam, and said he was not the one to initiate this. Shaea summarized their relationship by saying, "Nidal was providing evidence to Anwar, not vice versa."^[16]

Asked whether Hasan mentioned Fort Hood as a target in his e-mails, Shaea declined to comment. However, al-Awlaki said the shooting was acceptable in Islam because it was a form of jihad, as the West began the hostilities with the Muslims. The cleric also denounced what he described as contradictory behavior by Muslims who condemned Hasan's actions and "let him down."^[127] Referring to the post on his blog praising the shootings after they occurred, al-Awlaki said he "blessed the act because it was against a military target. And the soldiers who were killed were not normal soldiers, but those who were trained and prepared to go to Iraq and Afghanistan".^[16]

Al-Awlaki released a tape in March 2010, in which he said, in part:

To the American people ... Obama has promised that his administration will be one of transparency but he has not fulfilled his promise. His administration tried to portray the operation of brother Nidal Hasan as an individual act of violence from an estranged individual. The administration practiced to control on the leak of information concerning the operation in order to cushion the reaction of the American public.

Until this moment the administration is refusing to release the e-mails exchanged between myself and Nidal. And after the operation of our brother Umar Farouk the initial comments coming from the administration were looking the same – another attempt at covering up the truth. But Al Qaeda cut off Obama from deceiving the world again by issuing their statement claiming responsibility for the operation.^[128]

In January 2010, unnamed U.S. "security sources" said that there is concrete evidence that al-Awlaki met Abdulmutallab prior to the attack.^[129] In February 2010, al-Awlaki admitted in an interview, published in Arabic by al-Jazeera, that he taught and corresponded with Abdulmutallab, but denied having ordered the attack.^{[130][131][132]}

Representative Pete Hoekstra, the senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said anonymous officials in the Obama administration and officials with access to law enforcement information told him the suspect "had contact [with al-Awlaki].... The question we'll have to raise is was this imam in Yemen influential enough to get some people to attack the U.S. again."^{[133][134][135]} Hoekstra added: "The belief is this is a stronger connection with al-Awlaki" than Hasan had.^{[136][137][138]}

The Sunday Times established that Abdulmutallab first met al-Awlaki in 2005 in Yemen, while he was studying Arabic.^[139] During that time the suspect attended lectures by al-Awlaki.^[82]

The two are also "thought to have met" in London, according to The Daily Mail.^[140] He attended a sermon by al-Awalki at the Finsbury Park Mosque.^[36] Evidence collected during searches of flats connected to Abdulmutallab in London indicated that he was a "big fan" of al-Awlaki, as web traffic showed he followed al-Awlaki's blog and website.^[141] Abdulmutallab was at a talk by al-Awlaki at the East London Mosque, which al-Awlaki may have attended by video teleconference, according to CBS News and The Daily Telegraph.^[142][143]

The suspect was "on American security watch-lists because of his links with ... al-Awlaki", according to University of Oxford historian, and professor of international relations, Mark Almond.^[144]

The two were communicating in the months before the bombing attempt, reported CBS News, and anonymous sources said that al-Awlaki was providing spiritual support.^[145] According to federal sources, over the year prior to the attack, Abdulmutallab intensified electronic communications with al-Awlaki.^[146] "Voice-to-voice communication" between the two was intercepted during the fall of 2009, and one government source said al-Awlaki "was in some way involved in facilitating [Abdulmutallab]'s transportation or trip through Yemen. It could be training, a host of things."^[147] Anonymous intelligence officials suspect al-Awlaki may have directed Abdulmutallab to Yemen for al-Qaeda training.^[36]

Abdulmutallab told the FBI that al-Awlaki was one of his al-Qaeda trainers in remote camps in Yemen. And there were confirming "informed reports" that Abdulmutallab met with al-Awlaki during his final weeks of training and indoctrination prior to the attack.^[148][149] According to an anonyomous U.S. intelligence official, intercepts and other information point to connections between the two:

Some of the information ... comes from Abdulmutallab, who ... said that he met with al-Awlaki and senior al-Qaeda members during an extended trip to Yemen this year, and that the cleric was involved in some elements of planning or preparing the attack and in providing religious justification for it. Other intelligence linking the two became apparent after the attempted bombing, including communications intercepted by the National Security Agency indicating that the cleric was meeting with "a Nigerian" in preparation for some kind of operation.^[150]

Yemen's Deputy Prime Minister for Defense and Security Affairs, Rashad Mohammed al-Alimi, said Yemeni investigators believe that in October 2009 the suspect traveled to Shabwa. There, he met with al-Qaeda members in a house built by al-Awlaki and used by al-Awlaki to hold theological sessions, and Abdulmutallab was trained there and equipped there with his explosives.^[151] Al-Alimi also said he believed al-Awlaki is alive.^[101] And Abdul Elah al-Shaya, a Yemeni journalist, said a healthy al-Awlaki called him on December 28 and said that the Yemeni government's claims as to his death were "lies". Shaya is generally reliable, according to Gregory Johnsen, a Yemeni expert at Princeton University.^[100]

In January 2010, al-Awlaki acknowledged that he met and spoke with Abdulmutallab in Yemen in the fall of 2009. In an interview, al-Awlaki said: "Umar Farouk is one of my students; I had communications with him. And I support what he did." He also said: "I did not tell him to do this operation, but I support it," adding that he was proud of Abdulmutallab. Separately, al-Awlaki asked Yemen's conservative religious scholars to call for the killing of United States military and intelligence officials who assist Yemen’s counter-terrorism program.^[152] Fox reported in early February 2010 that Abdulmutallab told federal investigators that al-Awlaki directed him to carry out the bombing.^[153]

Cageprisoners campaigned for al-Awlaki when he was in prison in Yemen.^[154] Shortly after his release, Begg obtained an exclusive telephone interview with him.^[154] According to Begg prior to his capture, al-Awlaki had condemned the September 11 attacks.^[154]

In his March 2010 tape, al-Awlaki also said:

To the American people ... nine years after 9/11, nine years of spending, and nine years of beefing up security you are still unsafe even in the holiest and most sacred of days to you, Christmas Day....

Our brother Umar Farouk has succeeded in breaking through the security systems that have cost the U.S. government alone over 40 billion dollars since 9/11.^[128]

Alleged al-Qaeda member Sharif Mobley, who allegedly killed a guard during a March 2010 escape attempt in Yemen, left his home in New Jersey to seek out al-Awlaki, hoping that al-Awlaki would become his al Qaeda mentor, according to anonymous U.S. security officials.^[155] He was in contact with al-Awlaki, according to anonymous officials from the U.S. and Yemen.^[156] In response, a Yemeni embassy spokesman in Washington, D.C., called al-Awlaki "a fixture in jihad 101."^[157]

Faisal Shahzad, suspected of the attempted car bombing of Times Square in May 2010, told interrogators that he was "inspired by" al-Awlaki. Shahzad reportedly said he was was moved to action, at least in part, by al-Awlaki's English-language writings calling for holy war against Western targets, and he was a "fan and follower" of al-Awlaki, according to sources..^[158][159] Shahzad made contact over the internet with al-Awlaki and a web of jihadists, ABC News reported.^[160][161]

Al-Awlaki's father, Nasser, proclaimed his son's innocence in an interview with CNN's Paula Newton, saying: "I am now afraid of what they will do with my son. He's not Osama bin Laden, they want to make something out of him that he's not." Responding to a Yemeni officials' claims that his son was hiding in in the southern mountains of Yemen with al-Qaeda, Nasser said: "He's dead wrong. What do you expect my son to do? There are missiles raining down on the village. He has to hide. But he is not hiding with al-Qaeda; our tribe is protecting him right now." Nasser reiterated that his son is being wrongly accused.^[162]

The Yemeni government negotiated with tribal leaders, trying to convince them to hand al-Awlaki over.^[67] Reportedly, Yemeni authorities offered guarantees they would not turn al-Awlaki over to the U.S. or let him be questioned.^[67] The governor of Shabwa said in January 2010 that al-Awlaki was on the move with a group of al-Qaida elements from Shabwa, including Fahd Mohammed Ahmed al-Quso, who is wanted in connection with the bombing of the USS Cole.^[67]

In January 2010 White House lawyers reportedly considered the legality of attempting to kill al-Awlaki, given his US citizenship.^[163] The New York Daily News reported that al-Awlaki is "on a targeting list signed off on by the Obama administration."^[164]

On April 6, The New York Times also reported that President Obama had authorized the targeted killing of al-Awlaki.^[11] 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.^[11] Because he is a United States citizen, his inclusion on those lists was approved by the National Security Council.^[11] U.S. officials said it is extremely rare, if not unprecedented, for an American to be approved for targeted killing.^[11]

Al-Awlaki's tribe, al-Awlak, one of Yemen's largest, issued a written statement disapproving of the authorized use of lethal-force against him.^[165] The tribe wrote, “We warn against cooperating with America to kill Sheik Anwar al-Awlaki. We will not stand by idly and watch.”^[165]

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, he 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?".^[166][167]

• 44 Ways to Support Jihad—Essay (January 2009)^[35][168]
• Al-Awlaki has also written for Jihad Recollections, an English language online publication published by Al-Fursan Media.^[45]
• Allah is Preparing Us for Victory – short book (2009).^[169]

• "Exclusive; Ray Suarez: My Post-9/11 Interview With Anwar al-Awlaki," PBS, October 30, 2001
• Ragavan, Chitra, "The imam's very curious story: A skirt-chasing mullah is just one more mystery for the 9/11 panel," US News and World Report, June 13, 2004
• "Anwar al-Awlaki: 'Lies of the Telegraph,'" The NEFA Foundation, December 27, 2008
• "A Critique of the Methodology of Anwar al-Awlaki and his Errors in the Fiqh (Issue) of Jihad in Light of the Qur'an, Sunnah, and Classical to Contemporary Scholars of Ahl us-Sunnah", Salafi Manhaj, 2009