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| Arabia |
| US-born cleric added to terror blacklist |
| 2010-07-18 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] The Obama administration added a U.S.-born, al-Qaeda-linked cleric to a terrorism blacklist Friday, targeting him with sanctions aimed at cutting off his financial support. The U.S. Treasury said it blacklisted Anwar al-Awlaki as a "specially designated global terrorist", a move under an executive order that freezes any assets he may have under U.S. jurisdiction. "Anwar al-Awlaki has proven that he is extraordinarily dangerous, committed to carrying out deadly attacks on Americans and others worldwide," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey. "He has involved himself in every aspect of the supply chain of terrorism -- fundraising for terrorist groups, recruiting and training operatives, and planning and ordering attacks on innocents." Awlaki, now based in Yemen, rose to prominence last year after it emerged he had communicated by email with Major Nidal Hasan, a U.S. army psychiatrist accused of opening fire on colleagues at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13. The Treasury said in a statement that al-Awlaki has pledged an oath of loyalty to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and has recruited individuals to join the group. He also has facilitated training at camps in Yemen to support acts of terrorism and "helped focus AQAP's attention on planning attacks on U.S. interests," the statement said. The Treasury said New Mexico-born al-Awlaki provided instructions to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, accused of trying to detonate a bomb on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Dec. 25. After receiving instructions, Abdulmutallab obtained the explosive device he used in the failed attack, the Treasury said. A U.S. official said in April that President Barack Obama's administration had authorized the targeted killing of Awlaki, after American intelligence agencies concluded the cleric was directly involved in anti-U.S. plots. Awlaki was imprisoned in Yemen in 2006 on charges of kidnapping for ransom and being involved in an al-Qaeda plot to kidnap a US official but was released from jail in December 2007 and subsequently went into hiding in Yemen. "Awlaki has sought to encourage his supporters to provide money for terrorist causes," Levey pointed out. "Those who provide material support to Awlaki or AQAP violate sanctions and expose themselves to serious consequences." Members of al-Awlaki's tribe in Yemen have denied he is connected to al-Qaida despite a video posting calling for the killing of Americans. In the 45-minute video, al-Awlaki said U.S. deaths are justified and encouraged, citing what he said was U.S. intentional killing of a million Muslim civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 Yemen will not extradite Anwar al Awlaki if captured |
| Posted by: Goodluck 2010-07-18 07:55 |
| #1 Blacklist? A hitlist would be the only relevant list for this fella... |
| Posted by: American Delight 2010-07-18 05:55 |