Friday, February 8, 2013

Killing Anwar al-Awlaki Without Violating the Fifth Amendment

In the past few days I've been through the litany of how we could have detained, tried and stripped Anwar al-al-Awlaki of his citizenship, shipped him out of the country and then targeted him with a drone strike - all without violating the 5th Amendment. I forgot the most important piece of knowledge about this man, that the FBI knew al-Awlaki had purchased airline tickets for three 9/11 hijackers in the July and August just before the 9-11-2001 attacks - and the FBI knew it by September 27, 2001, just days after the attacks on America.




American-born Anwar al-Awlaki (aka al-Aulaqi) was killed in Yemen on September 20, 2011 by an American drone, and Attorney General Eric Holder is attempting to justify the administration violating the Fifth Amendment with the assassination of Awlaki and Samir Kahn. It took 10 years to get Awlaki, although there is little to prove we were trying to, until he ended up on Obama's Kill List. Sometime shortly after 9/11/01 (no one is revealing exactly when) Awlaki was invited to the Pentagon as part of a Muslim outreach program.  Surely we didn’t start a “Muslim outreach” program within 16 days of the September 11th attacks. No, most reports I’ve seen says al-Awlaki was invited to the Pentagon “just months after 9/11/01″ (or similar wording). Apparently, the FBI and the Pentagon didn't commune. I wonder if they do so today?
According to a September 27, 2001, FBI transcription, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State and Federal Bureau of Investigations (No. 1:12-cv-00893)), al-Aulaqi purchased airline tickets for the following 9/11 hijackers:
  • Mohammed Atta, America West Airlines, 08/13/2001, for a flight from Washington, DC, to Las Vegas, Nevada, to Miami, Florida.
  • S. Suqami, Southwest Airlines, 07/10/2001, for a flight from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to Orlando, Florida.
  • Al-Sheri, National Airlines, 08/01/2001, for a flight from San Francisco, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada, to Miami, Florida.
The documents also include material showing that al-Aulaqi was uncooperative with FBI agents investigating the 9/11 attacks and was seemingly a central focus of the FBI investigation and monitoring related to 9/11.
In addition:
In addition to the arrests noted by the documents in 2006 and 2007, al-Aulaqi was detained and questioned at New York’s JFK airport on October 10, 2002, under a warrant for passport fraud, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. However, the FBI ordered al-Aulaqi’s release, even though the arrest warrant was still active at the time of his detention as reported by Fox News Channel’s Catherine Herridge. Once released al-Aulaqi then took a flight to Washington, DC, and eventually returned to Yemen.
Al-Awlaki’s invitation to dine at the Pentagon (Fox News through FOIA request):
The documents show that more than 70 people were copied on the invitation, which originated in the Defense Department’s Office of the General Counsel. It is home to the Pentagon’s top lawyer.
“I have reserved one of the executive dining rooms for February 5th, which is the date he (Awlaki) preferred,” a defense department lawyer wrote in the e-mail announcing the event. 
“He (Awlaki) will be leaving for an extensive period of time on February 11th.” 
The e-mail states that New Mexico born al-Awlaki was the featured guest speaker on “Islam and Middle Eastern Politics and Culture.” 
The Defense Department lawyer who vetted the imam wrote that she “had the privilege of hearing one of Mr. Awlaki’s presentations in November and was impressed by both the extent of his knowledge and by how he communicated that information and handled a hostile element in the audience.”
But…he purchased airline tickets for three of the 9/11 hijackers, and the FBI knew it within 16 days of the attacks.

In 2002, al-Awlaki was the first “imam” to conduct a prayer service for the Congressional Muslim Staffer Association INSIDE THE U.S. CAPITOL and for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).

But…he purchased airline tickets for three of the 9/11 hijackers, and the FBI knew it within 16 days of the attacks.

Note that we have so many Muslim staffers inside the offices of our Congressmen and Senators that they have their own “association,” and when they gather, CAIR, an unindicted co-conspirator in the War on Terror, is invited.
Back then, at the time he was dining at the Pentagon, and praying in the Nation’s capitol, al-Alwaki was considered a “moderate.”

But…he purchased airline tickets for three of the 9/11 hijackers, and the FBI knew it within 16 days of the attacks.

In 2002, Ft. Hood jihadist, Nidal Hasan arranged for al-Awlaki to preside over funeral services for his mother. Hasan killed 14 on an American military base, shouting Allahu Akhbar, but it wasn’t terrorism, it was “workplace violence.”

Anwar al-Awlaki left the U.S. before the end of 2002, and we let him leave, but…he purchased airline tickets for three of the 9/11 hijackers, and we knew it within 16 days of the attacks.

Awlaki held dual citizenship in the U.S. and Yemen. He left the U.S. in 2009. He could have been detained and tried. He could have been stripped of his citizenship. Samir Kahn a naturalized American who was killed in the same drone strike with Awlaki could have been denaturalized. Kahn was a well-known promoter of jihad against American. It wouldn't have difficult to relieve him of the citizenship of the country who schooled him.

At some point, our agencies must make things happen. Because they didn't, or because the Executive Branch did not (and I include the Bush administration) we have now started down the very ugly, slippery slope to killing Americans without due process. We have effectively killed the Fifth Amendment, and the Obama administration must understand that when they send Jay Carney to publicly give a White House press briefing saying everything done to Awlaki, his American born son and Samir Kahn was "done in a way that is consistent with our Constitution, and all applicable laws," we know those words are a bold and terrible lie.

How terrifying is it to know your government is in the beginning stages of disarming us, trashing the Second Amendment, while legalizing your death if they deem it appropriate?

By Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

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