Anwar al-Awlaki was born in New Mexico of Yemeni descent. He lives in Yemen, which is home to at least 300 al-Qaeda militants. According to his website he served as an imam in Denver, San Diego and Falls Church, Virginia
He wrote on his blog yesterday: “Nidal Hassan [sic] is a hero. He is a man of conscience who could not bear the contradiction of being a Muslim and fighting against his own people. No scholar with a grain of Islamic knowledge can deny the clear cut proofs that Muslims today have the right — rather the duty — to fight against American tyranny”
On October 7 he wrote: “America and its allies in the area are plotting against the mujahedeen, nevertheless their growth increases by the day. May Allah grant the true believers victory and grant them steadfastness on His path”
He holds a degree in civil engineering from Colorado State University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from San Diego State University
He was interviewed by the FBI after the September 11, 2001, attacks when he was accused of serving as “spiritual adviser” to two of the attackers at his mosque in Falls Church. He was detained by Yemeni authorities in August 2006 and held for more than a year as part of a secret investigation
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In January this year he delivered a lecture by video link to the East London mosque. In August he was banned by the local council from addressing a British fundraising event by video link at the Kensington town hall
His website advocates violence against the Western world and supports groups such as Nigeria’s puritanical Boko Haram, which opposes education