Latest news with #al-Awlaki
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
State Department increases reward for info on al-Qaeda leader to $10M
July 29 (UPI) -- The State Department has increased to $10 million its reward for information leading to the identification or location of the leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Sa'ad bin Atef al-Awlaki is the man the State Department says leads AQAP and has called for attacks against the United States and its allies. Al-Awlaki also has led AQAP attacks against the United States and kidnapped Americans and other Westerners in Yemen in his prior role as the amir of the Shabwah province in Yemen, according to a State Department news release issued on Tuesday. The State Department previously offered a $6 million reward for information identifying or locating al-Awlaki's whereabouts via the Rewards for Justice program. Al-Awlaki also goes by the names Sa'd Muhammad Atif and Jalaal al-Sa-idi and was born in Yemen sometime between 1978 and 1983. He stands 5'6" and has a thin build, according to the State Department. The State Department also is offering rewards of $5 million and $4 million, respectively, for information leading to the identification or location of Ibrahim al-Banna and Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al-Qosi. Al-Banna and al-Qosi are part of the leadership team that assists al-Awlaki in his role as the leader of AQAP. Anyone with information on al-Awlaki, al-Banna or al-Qosi can contact the Rewards for Justice office via Telegram, Signal or WhatsApp at +1202-702-7843. Those using a Tor browser also can contact the Rewards for Justice's Tor-based tipline at Congress created the Rewards for Justice program in 1984, which is administered by the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security. The program offers rewards for information that helps protect American lives, U.S. interests and national security. Since its inception, Rewards for Justice has paid out more than $250 million in rewards to more than 125 people who provided information that helped protect U.S. citizens and end threats to national security. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
UPI
a day ago
- Politics
- UPI
State Department increases reward for info on al-Qaeda leader to $10M
July 29 (UPI) -- The State Department has increased to $10 million its reward for information leading to the identification or location of the leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Sa'ad bin Atef al-Awlaki is the man the State Department says leads AQAP and has called for attacks against the United States and its allies. Al-Awlaki also has led AQAP attacks against the United States and kidnapped Americans and other Westerners in Yemen in his prior role as the amir of the Shabwah province in Yemen, according to a State Department news release issued on Tuesday. The State Department previously offered a $6 million reward for information identifying or locating al-Awlaki's whereabouts via the Rewards for Justice program. Al-Awlaki also goes by the names Sa'd Muhammad Atif and Jalaal al-Sa-idi and was born in Yemen sometime between 1978 and 1983. He stands 5'6" and has a thin build, according to the State Department. The State Department also is offering rewards of $5 million and $4 million, respectively, for information leading to the identification or location of Ibrahim al-Banna and Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al-Qosi. Al-Banna and al-Qosi are part of the leadership team that assists al-Awlaki in his role as the leader of AQAP. Anyone with information on al-Awlaki, al-Banna or al-Qosi can contact the Rewards for Justice office via Telegram, Signal or WhatsApp at +1202-702-7843. Those using a Tor browser also can contact the Rewards for Justice's Tor-based tipline at Congress created the Rewards for Justice program in 1984, which is administered by the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security. The program offers rewards for information that helps protect American lives, U.S. interests and national security. Since its inception, Rewards for Justice has paid out more than $250 million in rewards to more than 125 people who provided information that helped protect U.S. citizens and end threats to national security. This Week in Washington
New York Post
06-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Mamdani once appeared to defend infamous al Qaeda fiend Anwar al-Awlaki — and blame FBI for radicalizing him: ‘Ridiculous assertion'
Socialist mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani appears to defend al-Qaeda fiend Anwar al-Awlaki — and blame America for turning the prostitution-loving cleric into a terrorist — in newly surfaced tweets. Al-Awlaki, who was born in New Mexico to Yemeni parents, became a prominent imam at mosques in San Diego and Virginia, eventually interacting with three of the heinous Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers there, US officials have said. He was put under surveillance by the FBI after 9/11 — a probe that uncovered among other things the fact that the conservative family-values-preaching Muslim cleric was frequenting prostitutes at hotels. Advertisement 5 New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani criticized the FBI surveillance of al-Qaeda member Anwar al-Awlaki in resurfaced tweets from 2015. AFP/Getty Images 5 Mamdani's tweets in response to the New York Times article on al-Awlaki. X/ZohranKmamdani Al-Awlaki moved to Yemen in 2004 — where he joined al Qaeda and hatched numerous international terrorist plots while preaching jihad in videos and on CDs. Advertisement The cleric was considered so dangerous that then-President Barack Obama approved the drone strike that killed him in 2011 — an unprecedented assassination of an American citizen who had not been charged with a crime. 'He directed the failed attempt to blow up an airplane on Christmas Day in 2009. He directed the failed attempt to blow up US cargo planes in 2010,' Obama said at the time. 'And he repeatedly called on individuals in the United States and around the globe to kill innocent men, women and children to advance a murderous agenda.' 5 Mamdani suggested that the FBI surveillance of al-Awlaki could have led him into joining the terror group. Paul Martinka for NY Post Advertisement But Mamdani, in a series of tweets in 2015, bizarrely criticized the FBI's surveillance of al-Awlaki — and claimed the G-Men actually pushed him into terrorism — after reading a New York Times account of the snooping, which revealed the cleric's hooker fetish. 'Why no proper interrogation of what it means for FBI to have conducted extensive surv. into Awlaki's private life?,' wrote Mamdani, then 23. 'How could #Awlaki have ever trusted@FBI to not release surveillance esp. if he continued to critique [the] state? Why no further discussion of how #Awlaki's knowledge of surv. eventually led him to #alqaeda? Or what that says about [the] efficacy of surv?' Mamdani said. Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! Advertisement The comments have enraged 9/11 victims' families and US anti-terror officials. 'To blame the United States for al-Awlaki is like blaming the Jews for Hitler,' seethed retired Long Island Rep. Peter King, who chaired the House Homeland Security Committee and served on the Intelligence Committee that received confidential briefings on al-Awlaki. 5 Al-Awlaki was killed in a US drone strike in Yemen in 2011. AP Photo/SITE Intelligence Group Fetired FDNY Lt. Jim McCaffrey — whose brother-in-law-law, FDNY Battalion 7 Chief Orio Palmer, rushed into the World Trade Center's south tower to try to help people before the building collapsed on him and hundreds of others during the hijacked-plane strike — called Mamdani's comments 'very offensive to 9/11 victims and their families. 'It's offensive to all New Yorkers and all Americans,' he said. 'It's an absolutely ridiculous assertion on Mamdani's part. The FBI agents were doing their job,' said McCaffrey, who himself spent many days participating in search and recovery efforts at Ground Zero. 'This guy al-Awlaki had connections to al Qaeda. But [Mamdani's] blaming the FBI?' 5 Mamdani speaking at a rally with labor union leaders on July 2, 2025. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock McCaffrey said it was 'eye-opening' and 'frightening' that Mamandi, a 33-year-old Queens state assemblyman, is now the favorite to be elected the next mayor of New York City. Advertisement Tom Von Essen, the city fire commissioner during 9/11, said, 'Just what NYC needs — another mayor who blames the government for creating criminals. 'We tried this with Bill de Blasio. It can not end well,' he said, referring the lefty former mayor roundly criticized for his disastrous soft-on-crime policies. King added, 'Mamdani is making excuses and rationalizing al-Awlaki joining al Qaeda. Advertisement 'He's trying to blame the US for him becoming a terrorist. It's an absolute disgrace. It should disqualify Mamdani from being mayor of New York City. 'Al-Awlaki was an evil man. It was a great victory to eliminate him from the face of the Earth,' King said. Intelligence sources claimed al-Awlaki's disciples had been linked to about a quarter of the Islamists convicted of terrorism-related offenses in the United States from 2007 until his death. Mamdani's other slick, savvy and cheeky videos on social media helped power his victory over ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary. Advertisement But he has also gotten blowback for some controversial postings in his digital footprint. A Jewish advocacy group, StopAntisemitism, slammed the Democratic socialist mayoral candidate for posting a separate 'sick' video mocking Hannukah and 'cosplaying Jews.' Mamdani shared a video on his X account last year from the Geeta Brothers Duet Group showing two men wearing wigs dancing behind a menorah, playing with dreidels and celebrating with Punjabi-style music. Advertisement Mamdani was also shown in a video in 2021 leading 'BDS' chants in a push to boycott Israel during a pro-Palestinian protest outside the Israeli Consulate in Manhattan. The pol's camp did not respond to a Post request for comment on his 2015 tweets.
Boston Globe
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Yemen's Al Qaeda branch leader threatens Trump, Musk, and others
Advertisement 'There are no red lines after what happened and is happening to our people in Gaza,' al-Awlaki said. 'Reciprocity is legitimate.' Though believed to be weakened in recent years due to infighting and suspected US drone strikes killing its leaders, the group known by the acronym AQAP had been considered the most dangerous branch of Al Qaeda still operating after the 2011 killing by US Navy SEALs of founder Osama bin Laden, who masterminded the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. In 2022, a US drone strike in Afghanistan killed bin Laden's successor, Ayman al-Zawahri, who also helped plot 9/11. The Sept. 11 attacks then began decades of war by the U.S. in Afghanistan and Iraq, and fomented the rise of the Islamic State group. Al-Awlaki already has a $6 million US bounty on his head, as Washington says al-Awlaki 'has publicly called for attacks against the United States and its allies.' He replaced AQAP leader Khalid al-Batarfi, whose death was announced by the group in 2024. Advertisement AQAP seizing on the Israel-Hamas war follows the efforts of Yemen's Houthi rebels to do the same. The Iranian-backed group has launched missile attacks on Israel and targeted commercial vessels moving through the Red Sea corridor, as well as American warships. The US Navy has described its campaign against the Houthis as the most intense combat it has faced since World War II. The Trump administration also launched its own intense campaign of strikes on the Houthis, which only ended before the president's recent trip to the Middle East. The Houthis' international profile rose as the group remains mired in Yemen's long-stalemated war. Al-Awlaki may be betting on the same for his group, which UN experts have estimated has between 3,000 and 4,000 active fighters and passive members. The group raises money by robbing banks and money exchange shops, as well as smuggling weapons, counterfeiting currencies, and ransom operations, according to the UN. The Shiite Zaydi Houthis have previously denied working with AQAP, a Sunni extremist group. However, AQAP targeting of the Houthis has dropped in recent years, while the militants keep attacking Saudi-led coalition forces who have battled the Houthis. 'As the Houthis gain popularity as leaders of the 'Arab and Muslim world's resistance' against Israel, al-Awlaki seeks to challenge their dominance by presenting himself as equally concerned about the situation in Gaza,' said Mohammed al-Basha, a Yemen specialist of the Basha Report risk advisory firm. 'For a national security and foreign policy community increasingly disengaged from Yemen, this video is a clear reminder: Yemen still matters.' Advertisement
Time of India
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
There are no red lines after ..., says Yemen's al-Qaida branch leader in warning to Elon Musk, Donald Trump Musk and others; Tesla logos in the threatening video
Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki, the leader of al-Qaida's Yemen branch, has issued threats against U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, according to a half-hour video message released early Saturday (May 8), as reported by the Associated Press (AP). In his first video since assuming leadership of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) last year, al-Awlaki also urged lone-wolf militants to target leaders in Egypt, Jordan, and Gulf Arab states, citing the devastation in Gaza. The report notes that the video featured images of Trump, Musk, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and logos of Musk's companies, including Tesla. Al-Awlaki declared, 'There are no red lines after what happened and is happening to our people in Gaza. Reciprocity is legitimate,' per the AP. Despite AQAP's weakened state due to infighting and U.S. drone strikes, the group remains a significant threat, the AP reports, having been considered al-Qaida's most dangerous branch since the 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden. Al-Awlaki, who has a $6 million U.S. bounty on his head, replaced Khalid al-Batarfi, whose death AQAP announced in 2024, according to the report. The AP report highlights that AQAP's focus on the Israel-Hamas war mirrors the strategy of Yemen's Houthi rebels , who have attacked Israel and commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The U.S. Navy has faced its most intense combat since World War II against the Houthis, the AP states. Al-Awlaki may be seeking to boost AQAP's profile, with the group estimated by U.N. experts to have 3,000 to 4,000 fighters and supporters, funded through bank robberies, smuggling, and ransoms, per the report. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Mohammed al-Basha, a Yemen expert cited by the AP, noted, 'As the Houthis gain popularity as leaders of the 'Arab and Muslim world's resistance' against Israel, al-Awlaki seeks to challenge their dominance by presenting himself as equally concerned about the situation in Gaza.' He added, 'For a national security and foreign policy community increasingly disengaged from Yemen, this video is a clear reminder: Yemen still matters.' AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
