Anwar al-Awlaki

Anwar al-Awlaki was a U.S.-Yemeni dual citizen and longtime cleric, propagandist, and operative for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). On September 30, 2011, Awlaki was targeted and killed in Yemen in the first U.S. drone strike to deliberately target a U.S. citizen. While he was alive, Awlaki directed a number of terrorist plots against the United States, and disseminated English- and Arabic-language videos, audio recordings, and articles online.

Anwar al-Awlaki’s Ties to Extremists

In the Counter Extremism Project’s online resource, Anwar al-Awlaki’s Ties to Extremists, CEP has counted 99 extremists with ties to Anwar al-Awlaki.

Read the Report

Anwar al-Awlaki on YouTube

YouTube's features has served to lure users to extremist content on YouTube, despite CEP's calls for YouTube to cease hosting Awlaki content.

Read the Report

Anwar al-Awlaki and Google’s Counter-Narrative Program

In February 2016, Google (YouTube’s parent company) announced plans to divert its users away from extremist content towards counter-narratives meant to challenge the appeal of extremist material.

Read Report

News and Blogs

News

News.com.au: Ohio State University attack: ‘I’m tired of my fellow Muslims being killed’

Abdul Razak Ali Artan was regarded as a good student who was friendly and said hello to his neighbours. Police identified Artan as the attacker who drove his car into pedestrians at Ohio State University before attacking people with a knife.…

News

Washington Post: FBI: Ohio State attacker might have been inspired by Islamic State

The FBI believes that the Ohio State University student who attacked a group of people using his car and a knife Monday might have been inspired by radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and the Islamic State, Special Agent in Charge Angela Byers said…

Press Release

Ohio State Attack Points Again to Awlaki’s Radicalizing Influence

Following is a statement from the Counter Extremism Project on the attack at the Ohio State University that injured 11 people:  “The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) strongly condemns the horrific incident Monday on the Ohio State University…

Press Release

Three of Nine Minnesota Men Sentenced For Roles in ISIS Conspiracy Case

(New York, NY) –- The Counter Extremism Project today released updated reports on three Somali –American men from Minnesota who were sentenced by a federal judge in Minneapolis after pleading guilty to supporting and conspiring to provide material…

News

San Diego Union Tribune: Former San Diego cleric a prolific terror recruiter

The poisonous rhetoric of Anwar al-Awlaki, a smooth-talking American-born imam who taught Muslims in San Diego in the years leading up to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has become a constant factor in homegrown terror plots since…

CounterPoint Blog

Anwar Al-Awlaki: The Modern Face of Terror

On the morning of September 30, 2011, Predator drones circled thousands of feet above a remote stretch of northern Yemen, monitoring a meeting of senior al-Qaeda militants. The CIA professionals operating the drones were not taking any chances.…

Press Release

ICYMI: Editorial, Updated Resource Detail Al-Awlaki’s Online Radicalizing Influence

(New York, NY) – The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) today published an editorial and an updated resource detailing the radicalizing influence American-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki continues to exert, five years after his death. Al-Awlaki…

News

Fox News: Five years after his death, Anwar al-Awlaki’s toxic message is still alive and well

In an op-ed, CEP CEO Ambassador Mark Wallace details the number of violent extremists who wre directly inspired by American-born imam turned al-Qaeda terror plotter Anwar al-Awlaki, even years after his death, due to the popularity of his videos on…

News

New York Times: ‘In-Betweeners’ Are Part of a Rich Recruiting Pool for Jihadists

The attackers in San Bernardino, Orlando and New York all had expressed support for the Islamic State, and they and the Boston bombers were devotees of the voluminous online work of Mr. Awlaki, who was killed in an American drone strike in 2011.…

Press Release

Continuing Violent Influence of Radical Cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki

Ahmad Khan Rahami Latest Radicalized American Influenced by Al-Awlaki (New York, NY) – The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) today released a new resource detailing the extensive role that U.S. born cleric and al-Qaeda propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki…

Daily Dose

Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.

Fact:

On April 3, 2017, the day Vladimir Putin was due to visit the city, a suicide bombing was carried out in the St. Petersburg metro, killing 15 people and injuring 64. An al-Qaeda affiliate, Imam Shamil Battalion, claimed responsibility. 

View Archive