Yemen Unrest Threatens Hunt for Awlaki

Finding US-born radical 'not on anyone's mind': official
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 23, 2011 11:03 AM CDT
Yemen Protests Threaten Hunt for Radical Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki
In this image taken from video and released by SITE Intelligence Group on Monday, Nov. 8, 2010, Anwar al-Awlaki speaks in a video message posted on radical websites.   (AP Photo/SITE Intelligence Group)

The hunt for Anwar al-Awlaki has hit a roadblock: The chances of capturing the Yemeni-American radical have grown slimmer as the unrest in Yemen escalates, reports the Washington Post. Just a few months ago, it was easy to spot Awlaki, who walked freely around a southeastern town, his uncle tells the Post. But with many southern tribal leaders sympathetic to the cleric, Yemen’s government lacked the local power to nab him. And as protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh gain steam, Saleh is working to maintain his relationship with these tribes—and the government’s focus has shifted further away from nabbing him.

“We have to deal with these political problems first. Finding Awlaki is not on anyone’s mind,” said a top official. It’s a mammoth task for a government that desperately needs the support of tribal leaders, some of whom doubt US claims he is linked to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Any tribe would “have him as a guest,” said his uncle. “In our culture, it is a shame to tell any guest to go away,” although “they are not with him in his beliefs.” (More Anwar al-Awlaki stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X