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Al-Awlaki returned to Colorado in 1991 to attend college, and holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from ] (1994), which he attended on a foreign ] and Yemeni government scholarship, and an M.A. in Education Leadership from ]; he also worked on a ] degree in Human Resource Development at ] from January to December 2001.<ref name=inf /><ref name=rag/><ref name = "wash post">Schmidt, Susan; ; the Washington Post, February 27, 2008, last accessed November 20, 2009.</ref><ref>]'', December 1, 2009, accessed December 1, 2009]</ref><ref>]'', December 2, 2009, accessed December 7, 2009]</ref><ref></ref> His ]ic education consists of a few intermittent months with various scholars, and reading works by several prominent Islamic scholars.<ref name=nef>{{cite news| url= http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/nefabackgrounder_alawlaki.pdf |last=The ]|date=February 5, 2009 |title=Anwar al Awlaki: Pro Al-Qaida Ideologue with Influence in the West |accessdate=December 2, 2009 }}</ref> Al-Awlaki returned to Colorado in 1991 to attend college, and holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from ] (1994), which he attended on a foreign ] and Yemeni government scholarship, and an M.A. in Education Leadership from ]; he also worked on a ] degree in Human Resource Development at ] from January to December 2001.<ref name=inf /><ref name=rag/><ref name = "wash post">Schmidt, Susan; ; the Washington Post, February 27, 2008, last accessed November 20, 2009.</ref><ref>]'', December 1, 2009, accessed December 1, 2009]</ref><ref>]'', December 2, 2009, accessed December 7, 2009]</ref><ref></ref> His ]ic education consists of a few intermittent months with various scholars, and reading works by several prominent Islamic scholars.<ref name=nef>{{cite news| url= http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/nefabackgrounder_alawlaki.pdf |last=The ]|date=February 5, 2009 |title=Anwar al Awlaki: Pro Al-Qaida Ideologue with Influence in the West |accessdate=December 2, 2009 }}</ref>

==Ideology==

Al-Awlaki has been accused by a number of sources of ] and encouraging terrorism.<ref name= "nytimes homegrown"/><ref name = "wash post"/><ref name= "Helms"/><ref name=rec/> According to Harry Helms and an independent Yemeni political analyst who insisted on anonymity, Al-Awlaki is an adherent of the ] ] sect of ]; Helms also said his sermons were extremely anti-] and pro-].<ref name= "Helms">, p. 55, ISBN 1438295308, accessed November 11, 2009</ref><ref name=rec/>

Al-Awlaki has also been tied to the ]. In 2003, ], ] for ], mentioned in Britain's Parliament the relationship between al-Awlaki and the ] (MAB), a Muslim Brotherhood ] founded by Kemal el-Helbawy, a senior member of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.<ref name= "Family matters">Morgan, Adrian; , FamiySecurityMatters.org, November 10, 2009, retrieved December 1, 2009.</ref>

He is often noted for targeting young US-based Muslims with his lectures. Terrorism consultant ] calls al-Awlaki "one of the principal jihadi luminaries for would-be homegrown terrorists. His fluency with English, his unabashed advocacy of jihad and ] 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 the founder of Al-Qaeda, the "virtual bible for lone-wolf Muslim extremists."<ref>]'', November 9, 2009, accessed November 12, 2009]</ref>



Al-Awlaki served as an ] in ], and then of the ] mosque in ], from 1996-2000.<ref name = "wash post"/><ref name= cha >{{cite news| url=http://www.verumserum.com/media/2009/11/2003-San-Diego-Trib-Story-on-al-Awlaki.pdf |last=Thornton|first=Kelly|date= July 25, 2003 |title=Chance to Foil 9/11 Plot Lost Here, Report Finds|work=San Diego Union Tribune |accessdate= December 1, 2009}}</ref><ref name= inf >{{cite news|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Dw1mHo6zjKwC&pg=PT351dq=awlaki++%22san+diego%22+mosque&num=100&ei=tqAVS6rqF4S-yQTo-4n7Aw#v=onepageq=aulaqi&=false|last=Sperry|first=Paul E. |date2005|title=Infiltration: how Muslim spies and subversives have penetrated Washington|work= Thomas Nelson Inc., ISBN 1595550038, 9781595550033|accessdate= December 1, 2009}}</ref> Al-Awlaki was arrested in San Diego in 1996 and 1997 for ] ].<ref name= "nytimes homegrown"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/040621/21plot.htm |title=The imam's very curious story |author=Chitra Ragavan |date=June 13, 2004 |publisher=''U.S. News & World Report'' |accessdate=November 28, 2009}}</ref><ref name=how /> In 1998 and 1999 in San Diego, he served as Vice President for the ] (CSSW), founded by Abdul Majeed al-Zindani.<ref name = "wash post"/> During a terrorism trial, ] (FBI) agent Brian Murphy testified that CSSW was a “front organization to funnel money to terrorists,” and US federal prosecutors have described it as being used to support Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.<ref name = "wash post"/><ref>Hays, Tom, "FBI Eyes NYC ‘Charity’ in Terror Probe," ], February 26, 2004, accessed November 11, 2009</ref> The FBI investigated al-Awlaki beginning in June 1999 through March 2000 for possible fundraising for ], links to al-Qaeda, and a visit in early 2000 by a close associate of "the blind sheik" ] (now in prison for his role in the ]), but was unable to unearth sufficient evidence for a criminal prosecution.<ref name=inf /><ref name = "wash post"/><ref name=nef /><ref name= "Helms"/><ref name= how>{{cite news| url= http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/FtHoodInvestigation/anwar-awlaki/story?id=9200720&page=3|last=Rhee|first=Joseph |date=November 30, 2009|title= How Anwar Awlaki Got Away; U.S. Attorney's Decision to Cancel Arrest Warrant "Shocked" Terrorism Investigators|work= ='']'' |accessdate= December 1, 2009}}</ref><ref name=cha />
]]]
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While he was in San Diego, witnesses told the FBI he had a close relationship with two of the ] (] and ]) in 2000, and served as their spiritual advisor.<ref name = "wash post"/><ref name=how/><ref></ref> Authorities say the two hijackers regularly attended the mosque Al-Awlaki led in San Diego, and Al-Awlaki had many closed-door meetings with them, which led investigators to believe Al-Awlaki knew about the 9/11 attacks in advance.<ref name=cha /><ref name=how />

In his last positions in the US, he headed east and served as Imam at the ] ] in the ] beginning in January 2001, and was also the Muslim ] at ].<ref name = "wash post"/><ref name=inf /><ref>; Cageprisoners.com, November 8, 2006, accessed June 7, 2007</ref> Fluent in English, known for giving eloquent talks on Islam, and with a mandate to attract young non-Arabic speakers, "he was the magic bullet," according to mosque spokesman ]; "he had everything all in a box."<ref>], September 12, 2004, accessed December 9, 2009]</ref> Shortly after this his sermons were attended by two of the 9/11 hijackers (Al-Hazmi again and ]), and by Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan.<ref name=cha /><ref name=how /><ref>]'', November 7, 2009, accessed November 12, 2009]</ref> The ] concluded that two of the hijackers "reportedly respected al-Awlaki as a religious figure".<ref name=rec>{{cite news|url= http://www.kansascity.com/451/story/1585957.html |title=Is imam a terror recruiter or just an incendiary preacher? |last=Allam |first=Hannah|date= November 22, 2009|work=]|accessdate= November 23, 2009}}</ref> The FBI also learned he may have been contacted by a possible "procurement agent" for Osama bin Laden, Ziyad Khaleel.<ref name = "wash post"/> When police raided the Hamburg, Germany, apartment of ] (the "20th hijacker") while investigating the 9/11 attacks, his telephone number was found among Binalshibh's personal contact information.<ref name=inf/><ref name="wash post"/><ref name="wanted">]'', November 11, 2009, accessed November 12, 2009]</ref>

Writing on the '']'' website six days after the 9/11 attacks, he 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."<ref name = "wash post"/> He left the US for Yemen in March 2002, following extensive FBI investigations.<ref name = "wash post"/><ref name=how /> Weeks later he posted an essay in Arabic titled "Why Muslims Love Death" on the ''Islam Today'' website, praising the Palestinian ]s' fervor, and months later at a lecture in a London mosque that was recorded on videotape he lauded them in English.<ref name = "wash post"/><ref name=how/> By July 2002 he was under investigation because a subject of a US Joint Terrorism Task Force (Joint Terrorism Task Forces are FBI-led, multi-agency teams made up of FBI agents, other federal investigators—including those from the Department of Defense, and state and local law enforcement officers) investigation was discovered to have sent money to al-Awlaki, and his name was placed on an early version of what is now the federal terror watch list.<ref name=how/><ref name=inf /><ref>], November 10, 2009, accessed December 9, 2009]</ref>

In October 2002, a Denver federal judge signed off on an ] for al-Awlaki for ], but just days later, on October 9, the Denver ] rescinded it.<ref name=inf/><ref name=how/> The prosecutors withdrew the warrant because they ultimately felt they lacked evidence that al-Awlaki had committed a crime, according to U.S. Attorney Dave Gaouette, who authorized its withdrawal.<ref name=att/> While al-Awlaki had listed Yemen as his place of birth (which the prosecutors believed was false) on his original application for a US ] in June 1990, which he then used to obtain a passport in November 1993, he later changed his place of birth information to Las Cruces, New Mexico.<ref name=att/><ref>], accessed December 15, 2009]</ref> Prosecutors could not charge him for his initial lie, because a 10-year ] on lying to the ] had expired.<ref>]'', December 2, 2009, accessed December 7, 2009]</ref> "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.<ref name=att /> As a result of the withdrawal of the warrant, agents were unable to arrest him when he returned to JFK airport in the US on October 10, 2002—the following day.<ref name=inf /><ref name=how/> '']'' 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.<ref name=att /> Gaouette opined that if al-Awlaki had been convicted, he would have faced about 6 months in custody.<ref></ref>

Al-Awlaki then returned briefly to Northern Virginia, where he visited radical Islamic cleric ], who is now serving a life sentence for inciting followers to fight with the ] against the US, and asked him about recruiting young Muslims for "violent jihad."<ref name = "wash post"/><ref name=how/> Al-Awlaki left the US before the end of 2002, because of a "climate of fear and intimidation" according to Imam ] of the Dar al-Hijrah mosque, and moved to the UK, giving 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.<ref name=inf /><ref name=rag/><ref name = "wash post"/><ref name=how/><ref>]'', August 4, 2003, accessed December 9, 2009]</ref>

===In Yemen===
Al-Awlaki returned to Yemen in early 2004, and lived in his ancestral village in the southern province of ] with his wife and five children.<ref name="wash post"/><ref name=how/> He became associated with and lectured at ], headed by al-Zindani (who was designated a terrorist in 2004 by both the US and the UN).<ref name=rag/> <ref name = "wash post"/> While al-Zindani promotes the school's science department, it is believed by some that its curriculum deals mostly if not exclusively with radical Islamic studies, and that it is an incubator of radicalism.<ref name=rag/><ref>Glenn R. Simpson, "Terror Probe Follows the Money," '']'', April 2, 2004</ref> Students are suspected of having assassinated three American ], and "the number two leader for the ], ]".<ref name="treasury">], JS-1190, February 24, 2004, accessed November 12, 2009]</ref> ], now serving a 20-year prison sentence in connection with his participation in Afghanistan's Taliban army, is a former student of the university.<ref name=rag/><ref name = "wash post"/>

On August 31, 2006, Al-Awlaki was arrested by Yemeni authorities with regard to what he claimed was a "secret police investigation" over "tribal issues", but what has been reported as charges of kidnapping a teenager for ransom and being involved in an al-Qaida plot to kidnap a US military attaché.<ref name=rad /><ref name=how/> Al-Awlaki blames the US for pressuring the Yemeni authorities to arrest him, and says that in approximately September 2007 he was interviewed by FBI agents on subjects including the 9/11 attacks. 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.<ref name=rec/> After 18 months in prison in Yemen, he was finally released on December 12, 2007.<ref name= "nytimes homegrown"/><ref name=rec/>

The ] provoked the outrage of '']'' by hosting a video-teleconference by al-Awlaki in 2008, and former ] ] expressed concern over al-Awlaki's involvement.<ref>]'', December 27, 2008, accessed November 12, 2009]</ref> On August 23, 2009, al-Awlaki was banned by local authorities in ], ], from speaking via videolink to a fundraiser for ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/aug/23/islamist-preacher-council-address |last= Doward|first=Jamie |title=Islamist preacher banned from addressing fundraiser |publisher= ] |date=August 23, 2009 |accessdate=November 12, 2009}}</ref>


==Current location== ==Current location==

Revision as of 15:08, 24 December 2009

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Anwar al-Awlaki
BornAnwar Nasser Abdulla Aulaqi
b. (1971-04-22) April 22, 1971 (age 53)
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Occupationlecturer/former Imam
EmployerIman University
Known foraccused of being senior Al-Qaeda recruiter and motivator linked to various terrorists
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)

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 a Muslim lecturer, spiritual leader, and former imam who has been accused of being a senior Al-Qaeda recruiter and motivator linked to various terrorists.

He has been reported to have been killed in a Yemeni air strike that took place in late December, 2009.

Originally trained as a civil engineer, al-Awlaki later became an imam. He is currently associated with Iman University in Yemen. Students of the university have allegedly been linked to assassinations, and it is headed by Abdul Majeed al-Zindani, who has been designated by the US and UN as associated with terrorism and Al-Qaeda.

Al-Awlaki's sermons were attended by three of the 9/11 hijackers, as well as by accused Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan. In addition, US intelligence intercepted at least 18 emails between Hasan and al-Awlaki from December 2008 to June 2009, including one in which Hasan wrote "I can't wait to join you" in the afterlife. Directly after the Fort Hood shooting, al-Awlaki praised Hasan's actions on his website, and then again a few days later in an interview.

Al-Awlaki is currently being sought by authorities in Yemen with regard to a new investigation into his possible Al-Qaeda ties. The authorities have not been able to locate him since approximately March 2009.

Early life

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

The family returned to Yemen in 1978, where al-Awlaki lived for 11 years. His father served as Agriculture Minister and as president of Sanaa University.

Al-Awlaki returned to Colorado in 1991 to attend college, and holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University (1994), which he attended on a foreign student visa and Yemeni government scholarship, and an M.A. in Education Leadership from San Diego State University; he also worked on a Doctorate degree in Human Resource Development at George Washington University Graduate School of Education & Human Development from January to December 2001. His Islamic education consists of a few intermittent months with various scholars, and reading works by several prominent Islamic scholars.

Current location

Yemeni authorities are now trying to locate al-Awlaki, who according to his father disappeared approximately March 2009. He is believed to be hiding in Yemen's 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).

On 24th December 2009 reports, quoting Yemeni sources, said al-Awlaki may have been killed in an air strike on a meeting of Al-Qaeda militants and leaders in the mountains of Shabwa province, Yemen. However this report not yet confirmed.

ABC News reported the dead included: Nasser al-Wahayshi, Saeed al-Shehri, and "Anwar al-Awlaki".

Works

The Nine Eleven Finding Answers Foundation says Al-Awlaki's ability to write and speak in straight-forward English enables him to be a key player in inciting English-speaking Muslims to commit terrorist acts. As al-Awlaki himself wrote in 44 Ways to Support Jihad:

Most of the Jihad literature is available only in Arabic and publishers are not willing to take the risk of translating it. The only ones who are spending the time and money translating Jihad literature are the Western intelligence services ... and too bad, they would not be willing to share it with you.

Al-Awlaki has also written for Jihad Recollections, an English language online publication published by Al-Fursan Media, an apparent collaboration of online terrorist sympathizers.

  • Numerous lectures have been posted to YouTube on various channels such as this and this
  • 44 Ways to Support Jihad—Essay (January 2009)—asserts that all Muslims must participate in Jihad in person, by funding it, or by writing. All Muslims must remain physically fit and train with firearms to be ready for the battlefield.
  • Lectures on the book Constants on the Path of Jihad by Yousef Al-Ayyiri—concerns leaderless Jihad.
  • The Battle of Hearts and Minds
  • The Dust Will Never Settle Down
  • Dreams & Interpretations
  • The Hereafter—16 CDs—Al Basheer Productions—describes the women, mansions, and pleasures of paradise.
  • Life of Muhammad:Makkan Period—16 CDs—Al Basheer Productions
  • Life of Muhammad:Medinan Period—Lecture in 2 Parts—18 CDs—Al Basheer Productions
  • Lives of the Prophets (AS)—16 CDs—Al Basheer Productions
  • Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (RA): His Life & Times—15 CDs—Al Basheer Productions
  • Umar ibn al-Khattāb (RA):His Life & Times—18 CDs—Al Basheer Productions
  • 25 Promises from Allah to the Believer—2 CDs—Noor Productions
  • Companions of the Ditch & Lessons from the Life of Musa (AS)—2 CDs—Noor Productions
  • Remembrance of Allah & the Greatest Ayah—2 CDs—Noor Productions
  • Stories from Hadith—4 CDs—Center for Islamic Information and Education ("CIIE")
  • Hellfire & The Day of Judgment—CD—CIIE
  • Quest for Truth: The Story of Salman Al-Farsi (RA)—CD—CIIE
  • Trials & Lessons for Muslim Minorities—CD—CIIE
  • Young Ayesha (RA) & Mothers of the Believers (RA)—CD—CIIE
  • Understanding the Quran—CD—CIIE
  • Lessons from the Companions (RA) Living as a Minority'—CD—CIIE
  • Virtues of the Sahabah—video lecture series promoted by the al-Wasatiyyah Foundation

References

  1. Murphy, Dan (November 10, 2009). "Fort Hood shooting: Was Nidal Malik Hasan inspired by militant cleric?". Christian Science Monitor. Boston. Retrieved November 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "Imam in Fort Hood case born in New Mexico". United Press International. November 11, 2009. Retrieved November 13, 2009.
  3. ^ Cardona, Felisa (December 3, 2009). "U.S. attorney defends dropping radical cleric's case in 2002". The Denver Post. Retrieved December 7, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference inf was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. Shephard, Michelle (October 18, 2009). "The powerful online voice of jihad". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 13, 2009.
  6. ^ Sharpe, Tom (November 14, 2009). "Radical imam traces roots to New Mexico; Militant Islam cleric's father graduated from NMSU". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
  7. Meek, James Gordon, "Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan 'is a hero': Imam who preached to 9/11 hijackers in Va. praises attack," New York Daily News, November 9, 2009, accessed November 12, 2009
  8. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8429370.stm
  9. Esposito, Richard, Cole, Matthew, and Ross, Brian, "Officials: U.S. Army Told of Hasan's Contacts with al Qaeda; Army Major in Fort Hood Massacre Used 'Electronic Means' to Connect with Terrorists," ABC News, November 9, 2009, accessed November 12, 2009
  10. Meyer, Josh (November 9, 2009). "Fort Hood shooting suspect's ties to mosque investigated". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 13, 2009.
  11. ^ Raghavan, Sudarsan (December 10, 2009). "Cleric linked to Fort Hood attack grew more radicalized in Yemen". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  12. Shane, Scott; Born in U.S., a Radical Cleric Inspires Terror; New York Times, November 18, 2009, last accessed November 20, 2009.
  13. Schmidt, Susan; Imam From Va. Mosque Now Thought to Have Aided Al-Qaeda; the Washington Post, February 27, 2008, last accessed November 20, 2009.
  14. Crummy, Karen E., "Warrant withdrawn in 2002 for radical cleric who praised Fort Hood suspect", The Denver Post, December 1, 2009, accessed December 1, 2009
  15. "Colo. feds look at Fort Hood connection to cleric", Associated Press, December 2, 2009, accessed December 7, 2009
  16. Rooney, Katie, "George Washington U. ex-student tied to 9/11 hijackers in report," University Wire, September 7, 2005, accessed December 8, 2009
  17. ^ The NEFA Foundation (February 5, 2009). "Anwar al Awlaki: Pro Al-Qaida Ideologue with Influence in the West" (PDF). Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  18. Cite error: The named reference wanted was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. "Anwar al-Awlaki Dead: Man Connected to Major Nidal Hasan Eliminated" Newsbizarre, December 24, 2009, accessed December 24, 2009
  20. Jake Tapper (2009-12-24). "Sources: Air Strike in Yemen May Have Killed Imam Who Inspired Fort Hood Shooter, Two Top Al Qaeda Officials". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2009-12-24.
  21. "Profile: Anwar al-Awlaki," November 24, 2009

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