Washington, July 02: U.S.-born Yemini cleric had a “direct operational role” in the Christmas Day airline bomb plot and is a legitimate target to capture or kill, officials say.
Michael E. Leiter, the head of the National Counter-terrorism Center, would not define what Anwar al-Awlaki’s alleged “direct operational role” was in the failed attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Dec. 25, 2009, The Washington Times reported Thursday.
But it would make anyone a legitimate target for U.S. intelligence agencies to capture or kill, he said.
“Individuals aren’t targeted because they have bad ideas, they aren’t targeted because they inspire people,” Leiter said. “They are targeted because they are involved in operations directed against the United States.”
The Muslim cleric, who has dual U.S.-Yemeni citizenship status, is the leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, an offshoot of Osama bin Laden’s organization, the Times said.
-Agencie