Yemeni Cleric: Kill US Citizens

American-Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who is believed to have inspired the Fort Hood shooter and would-be underwear bomber, is advocating the killing of American civilians in an al-Qaeda video released today. "The American people, in general, are taking part in this and they elected this administration and they are financing the war," he said. The US-born al-Awlaki is on the CIA's assassination list, despite his US citizenship; the White House responded that it is actively hunting "murderous thugs" like al-Awlaki.

Al-Awlaki used the 45-minute video to justify civilian deaths—and encourage them—by accusing the United States of intentionally killing a million Muslim civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Speaking of Nidal Hasan, the cleric said, "What he did was heroic and great. ... I ask every Muslim serving in the US Army to follow suit." (More Anwar al-Awlaki stories.)