Who is Anwar al-Awlaki?
The Muslim cleric who praised the Fort Hood shooter for "doing the right thing" may also be have ties to the Flight 253 bomber
The extremist cleric who praised the Fort Hood shooter
(Wikipedia Commons/Muhammad ud-Deen)
Extremist Muslim cleric named Anwar al-Awlaki drew extensive attention in the U.S. media after it was discovered he'd been corresponding with Maj. Nidal Hasan prior to the Fort Hood shootings. (Watch Anwar al-Awlaki lecture on religious zeal.) But counterterrorism officials have been watching al-Awlaki for a decade, and it's safe to say their interest has only grown recently as reports have emerged that his teachings may have influenced Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who attempted to blow up Northwest Flight 253 on Christmas Day. Here is what's been reported about al-Awlaki:
He is an American citizen: Born in New Mexico in 1971, Anwar al-Awlaki was an imam at mosques in California, Colorado and Washington DC from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. He left the U.S. in 2002.
He comes from a prominent family: His father was the minister of agriculture and a university president in Yemen.
He is a Facebook aficionado: Devoutly supported by young Muslims, al-Awlaki has exploited social networking to spread his teachings. He has groups on Facebook and MySpace and his “fans” include American high school students.
He advocates Jihad: al-Awlaki's extensive pro-Jihad writings include his controversial essay, “44 Ways to Support Jihad"—considered a key text for Al Qaeda members—which calls for young Muslims to receive arms-training for potential battles.
He is allegedly linked to Osama Bin Laden: His links to Al Qaeda were first suspected by U.S. authorities as long ago as 1999, when the FBI claims he had contact with one of Osama Bin Laden’s “procurement agents.”
He has specific ties to 9/11: Two of the terrorists who hijacked Flight 77 and crashed it into the Pentagon on 9/11 had a “close relationship” with the imam in San Diego and in Washington, DC. In the Congressional Joint Inquiry on 9/11, al-Awlaki is referred to as their "spiritual advisor."
Nidal Hasan was a member of his congregation: The Fort Hood shooter — who's reported to view the imam's teachings with "deep respect" — attended the Washington, DC mosque where al-Awlaki preached.
The UK has censored him: al-Awlaki was banned from speaking via teleconference at a London event in August 2009 to raise money for Muslims held in Guantanamo Bay.
He has written in support of the Fort Hood shootings: al-Awlaki posted comments on Monday in support of the Fort Hood attack on his website, calling Nidal Hasan a "hero" for fighting against “American tyranny.” His website has since gone offline for unknown reasons.
He was "presumed" killed in a recent U.S.-backed military strike: When the Yemeni military attacked a gathering of al Qaeda leaders in a mountainous province of that country last December 24th, officials from Yemen and U.S. announced the al-Alwaki was believed to have been present and was presumed dead.
Reports of death may have been premature: Just a few days after the attack, a Yemeni journalist reported that he'd been contacted by al-Awlaki and that the cleric claimed to alive and well. Awlaki claimed to have been two or kilometers away from the site of the attack.
His preachings may have inspired the "underwear bomber": Investigators in the U.K. think it's possible that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab may have been inspired by al-Awlaki's teachings. Specifically, Abdulmutallab was tied to a advocacy group that has "championed" al-Awlaki.
UPDATED: Jan. 4, 2010
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SEE MORE OF THE WEEK'S LATEST COVERAGE OF FORT HOOD:
• Fort Hood: What the world is saying
• Red flags at Fort Hood
• Who is Nidal Hasan: A timeline of the suspect's life
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19 Comments
Posted by cecilin, Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 5:40 pm i think all this stupid ideas about descriminations, limits our securityand we have much to loose to be so loose with the borders and giving rights to the people who insists in coming accross the borders ILLIGALLY !!! OUT OF THE LAW ILLIGALLY !! AND look at these men!! they are hard to determin if they are mexican, spanish or:Al Qaeda !!it is our lives and our families! as well as those who come in with drugs!! making professional tunes!! come onnn !!!!!this is dangerous!!!! are the ones at the FBI hand tight by these ideas?
Posted by cecilin, Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 5:45 pm i feel that we americans, should read more and learn more about what is going on! Look at chavez and his friendship with IRAN!! AND now with the war he wants to begin with Colombia! no one stops this on time, and the stupid grows!! this is now in our hemisphere!!! do want this to keep growing? and meanwhile we are thinking of admiting million or two here so that they can vote???? please!!!!this is our country! usa!!! we should be eye opened about our security!! here!!! for all of us and our children .NO DORMIR SOBRE LAURELES!LOOK THIS UP
Posted by Kevin, Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 7:19 pm Being politically correct is a bunch of bull crap. Hello people, there are no good Muslims. The Koran says that anyone not following Islam are infidels. Its us against them and they should not be on our land and serving in our military. Islam is an evil religion and a lie of the Devil. I wish the Fort Hood Killer would have died so he could have seen that there won't any virgins, only the pit of Hell...
Posted by Diane Jones, Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 7:44 pm We are now in the midst of a holy war within the United States, by radical Muslims, who can now get away with anything, because our own President is a Muslim! When do we wake up and realize what is going on?
Posted by Roberto, Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 8:00 pm Probably got student grants from us taxpayers...
Posted by kalaloch, Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 8:11 pm Wow, reading these comments make me wonder about future of this country. Let me take them from the top: Cecilan Both these characters are U.S. citizens. Kevin Timothy McVeigh was an American, a Christian, a member of the U.S. military. He murdered 151 people, including children, in cold blood. Would you generalize about Christians the way you generalize about Muslims? Diane The President of the United States is a Christian, not a Muslim. Roberto Student grants from one U.S. taxpayer to another? What's your beef?
Posted by Americangirl, Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 8:41 pm Nearly 1 in 4 people worldwide is Muslim, report says CNN ....look it up, google it...read and learn. If islam is such an evil religion, than why is it the fasting growing religion in the world? Exactly...its just u. Wake up and smell the coffee, its no secret...islam teaches feeding the poor, taking care of orphans and keeping good relations with family and neighbors....what evil teachings.
Posted by TexasBeauty, Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 9:08 pm He is a Facebook aficionado: Nidal Hasan was a member of his congregation: those caught my attention... his socalled fans, his congregation and whoever that has a connection with him should be banned from american soil... we can't take any more risks... hasan and that anwar guy are one of those ungrateful people! if they weren't born in the US they'll be eating sand everyday! they won't have the opportunity to go to school and medical school... shame on them!
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