American writer and investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill says it is still unclear if Anwar al-Awlaki posed a genuine threat to US security.
The White House says the drone strike that targeted US-born terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki, also hit a top al-Qaeda bomb-maker, delivering a major double-blow to the group.
Both were allegedly involved in a number of attacks on America, including a foiled Christmas Day bombing in 2009.
“Most people have never heard about Anwar al-Awlaki, or if they have, they probably knew something that was factually incorrect. The reality is that most credible sources say that this was a guy whose primary threat to the US was his ability to go on Youtube and preach hatred to the masses,” Jeremy Scahill believes.
In the wake of 9/11, Anwar al-Awlaki condemned the terror act in the American media – but condemned US policy as well. American aggression against Afghanistan and Iraq that followed 9/11 has been widely perceived in the Muslim world as a war on Islam and this may have radicalized the previously responsible American imam.