U.S. Predator Drone Strike In Yemen Was Targeting Al-Awlaki...but Missed

Breaking report from Reuters via Breitbart.

U.S. drone in Yemen missed al Qaeda's al-Awlaki: report


(Reuters) - The U.S. drone aircraft attack that killed two midlevel al Qaeda militants in Yemen on Thursday was targeting the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a U.S.-born radical known for encouraging attacks on the United States, U.S. media reported.

CBS News and The Wall Street Journal, citing Yemeni and U.S. officials, said on Friday that Anwar al-Awlaki was not hit when a missile was fired at a car in southern Yemen on Thursday, killing two brothers believed to be al Qaeda militants.

"We were hoping it was him," a U.S. official told CBS News.

The U.S. Defense Department declined to comment on the reports.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, is estimated to number about 300 fighters with strongholds in remote mountain regions in the provinces of Shabwa, Abyan, Jouf and Marib. It is thought to be behind numerous attacks on government targets.

The group is said to have inspired attacks by Muslims inside the United States -- including the Fort Hood, Texas, shootings in which an Army psychiatrist is accused of killing 13 people and wounding 32 -- and twice smuggled explosives aboard aircraft headed to the United States.

Yemen's Defense Ministry confirmed Thursday's drone attack had killed two al Qaeda militants, identifying them as brothers Musa'id and Abdullah Mubarak al-Daghari.

Washington considers the Yemen-based al Qaeda branch the world's most active terror cell.

With the killing in Pakistan earlier this week of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, some officials believe Awlaki's group now represents the gravest danger to the United States and other Western nations.

Yemen Sentences American Muslim Cleric, al-Awlaki, To 10 Years In Prison ...If They Ever Find Him

The Yemeni courts sentenced American-born islamic cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, to 10 years in prison for his role in an al Qaeda attack that killed a Frenchman inside of Yemen. The only issue for the Yemenis is that al-Awlaki wasn't anywhere near the courtroom to hear the verdict or the sentence.

From the report at Reuters via Breitbart:

A court in Yemen sentenced in absentia the U.S.-born radical preacher Anwar al-Awlaki to 10 years in prison on Monday for his role in the killing of a French engineer, and sentenced the gunman to death.

Hisham Mohammed Assem, a 22 year-old Yemeni, opened fire in October at a compound of the Austrian-owned oil and gas firm OMV , killing the Frenchman.

On the same day, suspected al Qaeda militants fired a rocket at a senior British diplomat's car carrying five staff members, who all survived with no major injuries.

Awlaki, of Yemeni descent and wanted dead or alive by the United Sates, was convicted of inciting the gunman, the state news agency Saba said. A relative, Othman al-Awlaki, also in hiding in Yemen and believed to have ties to al Qaeda, was sentenced in absentia to eight years in jail for incitement.

"The evidence presented by the prosecution confirms the relationship between Anwar and Othman al-Awlaki and the killer of the Frenchman, as an agreement among them to target foreigners," the judge said during the sentencing.

This is the same American cleric that the Obama administration okayed the assassination of by U.S. special ops and/or CIA so perhaps he won't even have to worry about a pesky 10 years in prison. Let's hope so.

Yemen sentences U.S. cleric over Frenchman's slaying


(Reuters) - A court in Yemen sentenced in absentia the U.S.-born radical preacher Anwar al-Awlaki to 10 years in prison on Monday for his role in the killing of a French engineer, and sentenced the gunman to death.

Hisham Mohammed Assem, a 22 year-old Yemeni, opened fire in October at a compound of the Austrian-owned oil and gas firm OMV , killing the Frenchman.

On the same day, suspected al Qaeda militants fired a rocket at a senior British diplomat's car carrying five staff members, who all survived with no major injuries.

Awlaki, of Yemeni descent and wanted dead or alive by the United Sates, was convicted of inciting the gunman, the state news agency Saba said. A relative, Othman al-Awlaki, also in hiding in Yemen and believed to have ties to al Qaeda, was sentenced in absentia to eight years in jail for incitement.

"The evidence presented by the prosecution confirms the relationship between Anwar and Othman al-Awlaki and the killer of the Frenchman, as an agreement among them to target foreigners," the judge said during the sentencing.

A defense lawyer for the three men said he would appeal.

At the time of the attacks, Yemeni officials said the events bore the hallmarks of al Qaeda.

In Southern Yemen, where the government faces al Qaeda militants and armed separatists, a senior police official was killed by gunmen in Shabwa province, and a soldier was killed in an ambush Lahj province, local officials said.

The Sanaa court's charge sheet and sentences for Assem and the two Awlakis made no mention of al Qaeda, but linked the three to unspecified "terrorist organizations."

Yemen may have been reluctant for domestic reasons to directly link Awlaki, respected in many circles in the country, to the global militant group.

The impoverished Arabian Peninsula state is under international pressure to quash a resurgent al Qaeda branch based in the country. It is also struggling to suppress the separatist rebellion in the south and cement a fragile truce with Shi'ite rebels in the north.

Yemen Orders U.S. Born Islamic Cleric, al-Awlaki, Found "Dead or Alive"

U.S. born islamic cleric and kingpin of the al Qaeda operation in Yemen, Anwar al-Awlaki, has been ordered to be found "dead or alive" by a Yemeni judge after the cleric did not show up for a trial where he is charged with killing of foreigners.

From the article at DAWN:

A Yemeni judge ordered police Saturday to find a radical US-born cleric ''dead or alive'' after the al-Qaida-linked preacher failed to appear at his trial for his role in the killing of foreigners.

Yemen is under heavy US pressure to crack down on the country's al-Qaida offshoot after a scheme to send bombs through the mail in packages addressed to the US was thwarted a week ago. The group known as l-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the plot on Friday.

The cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, was born in New Mexico to Yemeni parents and is one of the most prominent English-language radical clerics. His sermons advocating jihad, or holy war, against the United States have influenced militants involved in several attacks or attempted attacks on US soil.

Yemeni officials say he may have blessed the mail bomb plot, while not necessarily taking an active part in it.

The United States has already authorized the CIA to capture or kill al-Awlaki, who has also been linked to the failed bombing of a US-bound plane in December 2009.

So, now technically, we have all of Yemen's army and security forces on the hunt for al-Awlaki and we also have the CIA involved in the same hunt - and both have the green light to snuff this clown out and just haul back his bullet ridden body or maybe even just a few DNA swabs of it.

Good.

What I can't quite figure out is why this guy is so damn hard to find - let's face it, Yemen isn't exactly like the terrain of northwestern Pakistan or southern Afghanistan. The country doesn't hold the challenges that have been there in finding bin Laden. And at the same time, I'm not sure that al-Awlaki has quite the unity of protection among the Yemeni people that bin Laden has among the tribes of Pakistan.

It's my guess that al-Awlaki is going to be found within the next month unless he totally vamooses Yemen and that his capture won't end up with him being taken alive.

Yemen orders US-born cleric found 'dead or alive'


SAN'A: A Yemeni judge ordered police Saturday to find a radical US-born cleric ''dead or alive'' after the al-Qaida-linked preacher failed to appear at his trial for his role in the killing of foreigners.

Yemen is under heavy US pressure to crack down on the country's al-Qaida offshoot after a scheme to send bombs through the mail in packages addressed to the US was thwarted a week ago. The group known as l-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the plot on Friday.

The cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, was born in New Mexico to Yemeni parents and is one of the most prominent English-language radical clerics. His sermons advocating jihad, or holy war, against the United States have influenced militants involved in several attacks or attempted attacks on US soil.

Yemeni officials say he may have blessed the mail bomb plot, while not necessarily taking an active part in it.

The United States has already authorized the CIA to capture or kill al-Awlaki, who has also been linked to the failed bombing of a US-bound plane in December 2009.

Al-Awlaki is thought to be hiding in the mountains of southern Yemen, enjoying the protection of family and his large tribe, while facing what some analysts describe as only a halfhearted effort by the Yemeni authorities to capture or kill him.

With his sudden trial and the arrest order, Yemen appears to be trying to show its American allies that it considers the cleric a serious threat.

Judge Mohsen Allwan ordered al-Awlaki to be ''arrested by force, dead or alive'' after he failed to appear for the start of his trial in Yemen on Tuesday.

He was charged last week as a co-defendant in a surprise announcement as part of the trial of another man, Hisham Assem, who has been accused of killing a Frenchman in an Oct. 6 attack at an oil firm compound.

Al-Awlaki's name and that of a cousin, Othman al-Awlaki, were added as defendants in absentia.

According to the prosecution, Othman al-Awlaki had put Assem indirectly in e-mail contact with Anwar al-Awlaki.

In Tuesday's court session, Assem denied all charges and claimed he had been tortured in detention to make false confessions. He repeated those claims on Saturday. -AP

12 Americans Arrested in Yemen - Were They Working With Terrorists?

A pretty sketchy story coming out of Yemen but believe me, if it turns out that 12 Americans arrested in Yemen were actually hauled in due to ties with terrorists in the country, this is going to be HUGE news. The implications that these 12 Americans are in Yemen to work on terror attacks back here in America would be beyond the pale and would serve up a huge blow to American intelligence being on top of plots being hatched.

I don't want to go too far out on a limb here but obviously, for the Yemenis to arrest 12 Americans, there has to be something awfully fishy going on - and once again, I think we are going to see the ties between American jihadi recruits and the American-born radical imam, now located in Yemen, Al Awlaki.

We'll have to see some updates on this one but this could, again, be a big story.

Here's the article from the (grabs puke bucket) New York Times:

12 Americans Detained in Yemen


WASHINGTON — Twelve Americans have been taken in custody in Yemen, the State Department spokesman said Monday, but the circumstances of why and when they were detained were unclear.

“If the question is, are we aware that there are Americans in custody in Yemen, we are,” the spokesman, Philip J. Crowley, told reporters. “We’re trying to find out more information.”

A Yemeni official who was trying to sort out the contradictory reports on Monday said that several dozen foreigners have been detained on suspicion of radical or terrorist ties since December, when the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner by a Nigerian trained in Yemen set off a security crackdown.

But the Yemeni official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record, said he did not have details on the number of people arrested, their nationalities and the exact charges they face.

Agence France-Presse, citing an unnamed security official in Yemen, reported Sunday that Yemeni security forces had arrested more than 30 foreign citizens on suspicion of having links with Al Qaeda, among them 3 Frenchmen, an American and a Briton.

Other news agencies have reported in recent days that some or all of the foreigners detained were students studying Arabic at one or more of the language institutes in Sana, the Yemeni capital.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man accused of trying to bomb the airliner on Christmas, studied at one of the schools, the Sana Institute for the Arabic Language, before he met with Qaeda operatives in Yemen to prepare to carry out his plot.

When asked if any of the Americans arrested had ties to terrorist activities, Mr. Crowley said he would not get into specific details.

Mr. Crowley declined to say whether any of the foreigners detained in Yemen had been taken into custody at the request of their governments.

Senior American officials have expressed growing alarm about the increasing number of Americans who are drawn to video and audio recordings that promote jihad, including lectures by the American-born cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, who is hiding in Yemen.

Al Qaeda in (shithole) Yemen Threatens America

Well, it's been almost three months since the Obama administration cleared the way for al Qaeda-linked, American-born Anwar Al-Awlaki to be targeted for killing and just now, al Qaeda in Yemen has decided to step up to the plate and threaten America over that decision.

From the piece over at The Politico:

In a new audio recording, the leader of the Yemen branch of Al Qaeda has warned Americans they will be harmed by the Obama administration's alleged decision to authorize the assassination of an American-born Islamic cleric linked to the Ft. Hood shooting and attempted Christmas Day airplane terrorism plots.

“The American administration issued a decision to the effect that the heroic, truth-telling preacher Anwar Al-Awlaki, may Allah preserve him, is wanted dead or alive,” Al-Wuhayshi says in the audio recording, a transcript of which was made available by the Washington-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) project.

“Obama, through these kinds of decisions, is leading you [the American people] to what will harm you and humble you, and will not benefit your security, which your people has already lost," Al-Wuhayshi says.

“Speak [the truth] to your people, oh Obama,” he continues. “Do not hide from them the magnitude of the danger that will come unexpectedly and that awaits them. Reveal to them the files on the investigations regarding the [terror] cells and the plots that are still ongoing, and the targets that the mujahideen are striving and determined to strike again.”

Now, I don't think too many of us are going to be shaking in our boots over this band of misfits in Yemen mouthing off like this but it does point out exactly what happens when a security issue against islamic terror in America takes hold- every tom, dick and harry band of islamic jihadis comes out of the woodwork to jump on the bandwagon. And at the same time, I have come to the realization that I cannot discount these wild threats like I once used to - let's face it, not many Americans actually thought the Pakistani Taliban actually had a role in the failed Times Square bombing when they took credit for it, only to find out that they did actually orchestrate it.

And what this all means is that the entire safety outlook for America has changed significantly since Barack Hussein Obama took the lead in the country. This is exactly what happens when you take a stance of appeasement. This is what happens when you make Cairo type speeches and seek peace with islamists - they jump on your back like a pride of female lions onto the back of a water buffalo. And this is what happens when the top security people in your country cannot and wil not even use the term "terrorist."

Islamic terrorists understand and respect only one thing - a leader who is ruthless against them and if something doesn't happen to change the American course of action against the horde, we'll be looking at more plots, more terror attempts than you can shake a stick at.

How many Americans feel safer today than they did two years ago? Huh?

Al Qaeda in Yemen issues new warning


In a new audio recording, the leader of the Yemen branch of Al Qaeda has warned Americans they will be harmed by the Obama administration's alleged decision to authorize the assassination of an American-born Islamic cleric linked to the Ft. Hood shooting and attempted Christmas Day airplane terrorism plots.

In the ten minute audio recording, Nasir Abu Basir Al-Wuhayshi, the emir of the Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, pledges that Islamic fighers in Yemen will do everything they can to protect the American-born cleric, Anwar Al-Awlaki.

“The American administration issued a decision to the effect that the heroic, truth-telling preacher Anwar Al-Awlaki, may Allah preserve him, is wanted dead or alive,” Al-Wuhayshi says in the audio recording, a transcript of which was made available by the Washington-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) project.

“Obama, through these kinds of decisions, is leading you [the American people] to what will harm you and humble you, and will not benefit your security, which your people has already lost," Al-Wuhayshi says.

“Speak [the truth] to your people, oh Obama,” he continues. “Do not hide from them the magnitude of the danger that will come unexpectedly and that awaits them. Reveal to them the files on the investigations regarding the [terror] cells and the plots that are still ongoing, and the targets that the mujahideen are striving and determined to strike again.”

Born in New Mexico, al-Awlaki, 39, was reportedly in communication with the Nigerian suspect charged with attempting to blow up a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas, and with the army psychiatrist accused of shooting 13 army personnel at Ft. Hood last November.

The New York Times reported last week that the NSC has approved the CIA putting Awlaki on a list of terrorist suspects to be targeted for assassination, despite al-Awlaki being a U.S. citizen.

The Obama administration has requested $150 million in overt security assistance funds to bolster the Sanaa government's fight against Al Qaeda this year.

The Facade of an Islamic Cleric

Okay, we have seen over and over the influence that American-born islamic cleric, Anwar Al Awlaki, has had on jihadis here in America - we saw it with the Ft. Hood attacker, we saw it with the underwear bomber, and now we have even seen his "fingerprints" of influence on the Times Square bomber.

The New York Times (yeah, i know) has an article with a list of quotes from Al Awlaki that show what they feel is an "evolution" or literal transformation of this islamic cleric from a supposedly benign muslim preacher to a full blown radical islamic terrorist - to the point he has been approved for assassination by the U.S. government.

Let me show you two quotes from Al Awlaki - the first is from a post 9/11 speech and the second is just from this past March:

ON SEPT. 11:

“Muslims still see bin Laden as a person with extremely radical ideas. But he has been able to take advantage of the sentiment that is out there regarding U.S. foreign policy. We’re totally against what the terrorists had done. We want to bring those who had done this to justice. But we’re also against the killing of civilians in Afghanistan.”

— Oct. 11, 2001, quoted by The Washington Times


“I, for one, was born in the U.S. I lived in the U.S. for 21 years. America was my home. I was a preacher of Islam involved in nonviolent 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.”

— Mar. 17, 2010, audio statement posted to Web

So, the NYT is trying to portray this as a transformation - and if you take their bait, you might see that because of U.S. aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan, Al Awlaki just couldn't help becoming more radical.

Well, I take a different view of this. You see, Al Awlaki hasn't changed a bit - he has ALWAYS been the radical terrorist imam. That statement of his on October 11, 2001 is simply a lie. It is taqqiya. At that point in America, Al Awlaki lived here, amongst us...teaching his version of fundamental islam. He was gaining notoriety and knew he was being watched - his statement against 9/11 terror was a cover, a lie, a way for him to be SEEN as moderate. Well, as we have seen time and time again, when an islamist is situated in an infidel country, they will do anything to continue their role in jihad there.

There's an old saying...."a leopard doesn't change its spots." And in this case, an islamist doesn't change his religion. Al Awlaki is nothing special - he has always followed the Qur'an and that Qur'an encouraged attacks on infidels - he's no different today than he was 9 years ago - the only thing that has changed is how stupid idiots at the New York Times perceive him.

The Evolution of a Radical Cleric: Quotes from Anwar al-Awlaki


ON ISLAM AND GOVERNANCE:

“This is how, by taking [the Prophet Muhammad] as a role model, the image of the messenger gives us an example of somebody who was extremely successful as a head of state. Nevertheless, he never had to compromise his integrity.”

— July 20, 2001, sermon at Friday Prayer in the United States Capitol

ON SEPT. 11:

“Muslims still see bin Laden as a person with extremely radical ideas. But he has been able to take advantage of the sentiment that is out there regarding U.S. foreign policy. We’re totally against what the terrorists had done. We want to bring those who had done this to justice. But we’re also against the killing of civilians in Afghanistan.”

— Oct. 11, 2001, quoted by The Washington Times

ON RADICAL TALK AND SEPT. 11:

“In the past we were oblivious. We didn’t really care much because we never expected things to happen. Now I think things are different. What we might have tolerated in the past, we won’t tolerate any more. There were some statements that were inflammatory, and were considered just talk, but now we realize that talk can be taken seriously and acted upon in a violent radical way.”

— Oct. 19, 2001, quoted by The New York Times

ON AMERICAN MUSLIMS:

“Yes, we disagree with a lot of issues when it comes to the foreign policy of the United States. We are very conservative when it comes to family values. We are against the moral decay that we see in the society. But we also cherish a lot of the values that are in America. Freedom is one of them; the opportunity is another. And that’s why there is more appreciation among the American Muslims compared to the Muslims in other parts of the world.”

— Nov. 1, 2001, interview with PBS

ON 2002 RAIDS ON THE FIQH COUNCIL OF NORTH AMERICA AND OTHER AMERICAN MUSLIM ORGANIZATIONS:

“If the offices of the Fiqh Council of North America were raided and attacked, who is next? Masjids [mosques] may be raided and closed down. Islamic schools — their reputation has been tarnished through the media. Where is it going to stop? Where is this going to lead to? Therefore it is a responsibility of us as Muslims to make it very clear to the world that American Muslims are persecuted on a religious basis.”

— March 2002 talk at Dar al-Hijrah mosque, Fairfax, Va.

ON THE WAR IN IRAQ AND OTHER PERCEIVED ASSAULTS ON ISLAM:

“The ummah [global Muslim community] is watching while Iraq is being devoured. It’s not going to stop there, because it’s going to spill over into Syria and Allah knows where. In your own city, and in this country, many people have been arrested. You know if you talk about Guantánamo Bay and all this — there’s a Guantánamo Bay in this country. It’s an insult to Islam. Allah will revenge for himself, but the thing is, we cannot allow such things to happen and just watch.”

— 2003 lecture at East London Mosque

“And then you had the incident of this Swedish cartoons which depicted Muhammad in the worst form, which is one of the worst forms of cursing Muhammad we have ever heard of. And then you now have the abuse of the book of Allah in ways that we have never heard of using it, as toilet paper and shooting at the book of Allah for target practice. So what is happening now and the enormous extent of it, even though it angers every Muslim, it is also a sign that the end of these kuffar [unbelievers] is near.”

— 2008 audio lecture from Yemen

ON THE FORT HOOD, TEX., SHOOTING SUSPECT:

“Nidal Hasan 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 U.S. 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. The heroic act of brother Nidal also shows the dilemma of the Muslim American community. Increasingly, they are being cornered into taking stances that would either make them betray Islam or betray their nation.”

— Nov. 9, 2009, statement on his now-defunct Web site, anwar-alawlaki.com

“I, for one, was born in the U.S. I lived in the U.S. for 21 years. America was my home. I was a preacher of Islam involved in nonviolent 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.”

— Mar. 17, 2010, audio statement posted to Web

A version of this article appeared in print on May 9, 2010, on page A16 of the New York edition.

American Imam In Yemen, Mentor of the Ft. Hood Jihadi, Calls For Muslim Revolt In America

You know, I would have SWORE that Barack Hussein Obama's speech in Cairo was meant to calm the souls of the mujhadeen, wipe away the anger of the jihadis for America and create a harmonious planet Earth where muslims adored Christians and Jews! Apparently the bad jihadis, you know, the ones with the guns and the mortars and the suicide belts and the dirty bombs didn't get the message from the American 12th imam.

Today, the American piece-of-shit islamist who set up his little muj recruiting and training center in Yemen...yeah good old Anwar al-Awlaki, the putz that served as a mentor to the Ft. Hood massacre jihadi, made a call to all American muslims to revolt against the nation of the United States of America.

From the article at Breitbart:

A Yemeni-American Muslim preacher known for his ties to extremists operating in the U.S. called on American Muslims in a new audio message to turn against their government because of its actions against Muslims around the world.
Anwar al-Awlaki's latest message, excerpts of which were aired on CNN Wednesday, described his own radicalization after U.S. operations against Muslims and called on those in the U.S. to follow his path, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist Web Sites.

And here's some of what the pile of excrement said:

"To the Muslims in America I have this to say, how can your conscience allow you to live in peaceful coexistence with a nation responsible for terrible crimes against your own brothers and sisters?" he asked. "How can you have loyalty to a government leading the war against Muslims?"

"Our brother, Umar Farouk, has succeeded in breaking through the security systems that have cost the U.S. government alone over $40 billion since 9/11,"

I don't remember how long ago it was but I blogged here about taking this asswipe out - yes, I called for the assassination of an American citizen - he's a fucking jihadi and deserves to die...I don't care where he was born, this clown is no American.

One has to wonder just how many jihadis in America this message will truly reach and how many will act - it isn't really known how many potential "soldiers" this guy has at his disposal but I am at a point where I think this is serious - we already have seen the home-grown terrorists coming out of the woodwork and I'm afraid this madman's call for action is going to do just that....spur some attacks.

Yemen-American imam calls for US Muslim revolt


CAIRO (AP) - A Yemeni-American Muslim preacher known for his ties to extremists operating in the U.S. called on American Muslims in a new audio message to turn against their government because of its actions against Muslims around the world.
Anwar al-Awlaki's latest message, excerpts of which were aired on CNN Wednesday, described his own radicalization after U.S. operations against Muslims and called on those in the U.S. to follow his path, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist Web Sites.

"To the Muslims in America I have this to say, how can your conscience allow you to live in peaceful coexistence with a nation responsible for terrible crimes against your own brothers and sisters?" he asked. "How can you have loyalty to a government leading the war against Muslims?"

Al-Awlaki, who has used his personal Web site to encourage Muslims around the world to kill U.S. troops in Iraq, disappeared in Yemen a year ago, according to his father. Yemeni security officials say they believe he is hiding in a region of the mountainous nation that has become a refuge for Islamic militants.

He was in regular contact with Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who is accused of killing 13 people in a rampage at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas. He communicated with al-Awlaki in e-mail exchanges 10 to 20 times over several months last year.

Al-Awlaki also is believed to have been in contact with Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian who attempted to blow up a passenger airliner in Detroit on Christmas day with explosives concealed in his underwear.

"Our brother, Umar Farouk, has succeeded in breaking through the security systems that have cost the U.S. government alone over $40 billion since 9/11," he said in an excerpt of the tape provided by SITE.

U.S. authorities have been increasingly worried about the presence of Americans supporting jihad inside the country. Over the past week, a Pennsylvania woman, who went by the name "Jihad Jane," was accused in a plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist; a New Jersey man was held by authorities in Yemen; and five young Pakistani-American men from Northern Virginia were charged by Pakistani officials with planning terrorist attacks in the South Asian country.

More than a dozen Americans captured or identified by the U.S. government and its allies as actively supporting jihad, or holy war, in the past two years.

Al-Awlaki, has for years posted messages online supporting violent Islamic extremism. A U.S. citizen himself, he has targeted his message, particularly in Internet postings, to broad, English-speaking audience

On March 7, al-Qaida's American-born spokesman Adam Gadahn called on Muslims serving in the U.S. armed forces to emulate Hasan, whom he called a role model, and attack the military.

The Case To Kill An American Terrorist

Just last week, I put up this post about how I was recommending that the U.S. take out the American islamic cleric in Yemen who has distinct ties to al Qaeda and was involved in mentoring the Fort Hood jihadist and is rumored to have been involved with the Christmas Day terrorist on Flight 253 - not to mention his role via the internet in helping recruit terrorists right here in America. Yes, I called for the assassination of Anwar al Awlaki.

This is what I wrote in my post:

It's my opinion, that these figure heads, these magnets for jihadists and jihadist wannabes, need to be identified, targeted, located and exterminated.

So today, this story here at ABC News comes out about how the U.S. has missed opportunities to take out al Awlaki due to the confusion here on the legalities of killing an American, even if he is a confirmed terrorist.

From the article:

White House lawyers are mulling the legality of proposed attempts to kill an American citizen, Anwar al Awlaki, who is believed to be part of the leadership of the al Qaeda group in Yemen behind a series of terror strikes, according to two people briefed by U.S. intelligence officials.

One of the people briefed said opportunities to "take out" Awlaki "may have been missed" because of the legal questions surrounding a lethal attack which would specifically target an American citizen.
A spokesperson said the White House declined to comment.

So, let me get this straight. The American government, the American military and/or the CIA cannot target al Qaeda operative Adam Gadahn? Adam Gadahn has actively worked for al Qaeda for years as an American citizen and has the blood of Americans and other foreigners on his hands yet this article points out that there are too many questions about the legality of targeting an American. Now, the article points to an American al Qaeda member killed in Pakistan by a drone attack but that was written off as a collateral death and that he wasn't targeted.

Well, my article from last week was meant to bring this to a head. If an American decides to leave this country OR stays inside this country and participates in jihad, in terror...then that person needs to be targeted and if apprehension is not possible, then he needs to be killed. Simple as that. Do people actually have to be reminded that we are in a war here? Is our government actually telling us that if an American al Qaeda member is sitting in a hut in Afghanistan after he helped in the killing of 5 American soldiers and 20 innocent civilians and we won't drop a JDAM on his sorry ass?

I'm sorry, but it is my opinion that when you enlist in al Qaeda, when you help al Qaeda, when you participate in the recruiting of al Qaeda members, or if you are helping in the communications of al Qaeda propaganda, your rights to a fair trial went out the door. You are an enemy of the United States of America and a combatant against the safety of this Republic and thus you are a target for assassination.

I suppose some ACLU blockheads are exploding at this moment. Screw 'em.

U.S. Mulls Legality of Killing American al Qaeda "Turncoat"


White House lawyers are mulling the legality of proposed attempts to kill an American citizen, Anwar al Awlaki, who is believed to be part of the leadership of the al Qaeda group in Yemen behind a series of terror strikes, according to two people briefed by U.S. intelligence officials.

One of the people briefed said opportunities to "take out" Awlaki "may have been missed" because of the legal questions surrounding a lethal attack which would specifically target an American citizen.

A spokesperson said the White House declined to comment.

While Awlaki has not been charged with any crimes under U.S. law, intelligence officials say recent intelligence reports and electronic intercepts show he played an important role in recruiting the accused "underwear bomber" Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. Awlaki also carried on extensive e-mail communication with the accused Fort Hood shooter, Major Nidal Hasan, prior to the attack that killed 12 soldiers and one civilian.

According to the people who were briefed on the issue, American officials fear the possibility of criminal prosecution without approval in advance from the White House for a targeted strike against Awlaki.

An American citizen with suspected al Qaeda ties was killed in Nov. 2002 in Yemen in a CIA predator strike that was aimed at non-American leaders of al Qaeda. The death of the American citizen, Ahmed Hijazi of Lackawanna, NY, was justified as "collateral damage" at the time because he "was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," said a former U.S. official familiar with the case.

In the case of Awlaki, born in New Mexico and a college student in Colorado and California, a strike aimed to kill him would stretch current Presidential authority given to the CIA and the Pentagon to pursue terrorists anywhere in the world.