Anwar Al Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki: One of al Qaeda’s Most Dangerous Weapons. The 38-year-old cleric, born in New Mexico to Yemeni parents, is the new “rockstar” of not only al Qaeda but Radical Islam as a whole. His story reads as a novel. Born in America and speaks fluent English without an accent but easily transitions to his Arabic language roots as he radicalizes his target youth from around the globe to rise up against the West. He is very modern compared to his other leading al Qaeda terrorist peers. He is computer savvy and uses it to promote his messages of jihad. Videos, texts of his sermons, blogs, it is all over the internet for his followers to listen to, watch or read whenever they like. He has a dangerous following that will be a major concern for the West moving into the next decade and beyond. To say the least he is California cool compared to other senior al Qaeda leadership that end up on the young radicals laptops or reading material lists they buy at the local mosque bookstore. His popularity in recent years has also brought out the fact that he has been on the FBI’s radar since shortly after the 911 attacks.
