21st Century Digital Terrorism | The Beast File

Subscribe for more Hungry Beast: http://bit.ly/HungryBeast Meet Anwar al-Awlaki: the radical Islamist dubbed 'the bin Laden of the Internet' for his mastery of digital media. Seen by the US as leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, American-born Awlaki is a key inspirational figure for 'home-grown' Western terrorists and says jihad is 'as American as apple pie, and as British as afternoon tea'. Awlaki spent much of his childhood in his family's native Yemen before returning to America to acquire his two degrees. In 1993, he visited Afghanistan where, he claims, he trained with the mujahideen. After university he served as an imam at several mosques. He was arrested twice during his time in San Diego for soliciting prostitutes, and investigated by the FBI for suspected ties to Hamas, al-Qaeda, and the terrorists behind the 1993 World Trade Centre and 2000 USS Cole bombings. Two of the 9/11 hijackers met with Awlaki and there's evidence he helped them find money and apartments. Awlaki left the US in 2002, lecturing in the UK before moving to Yemen in 2004, where he is now in hiding. For Muslim youths in the west - not fluent in Arabic - Awlaki's videos and blogs speak their language: in plain English. He also references pop culture, in one YouTube video Awlaki ridiculed Michael Jackson's death, using it to sell holy war. He broadcasts by video link to England and in 2009 delivered a sermon by phone to Sydney's Lakemba mosque. Nidal Hasan, the Muslim US army psychiatrist charged with the Fort Hood shooting in Texas, exchanged emails beforehand with Awlaki seeking religious guidance. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, allegedly met with Awlaki before attempting to blow-up a Detroit-bound plane. And Faisal Shahzad, who admitted trying to set off a car bomb in Times Square in May 2010, told investigators he was inspired by Awlaki's online lectures. Some Muslim scholars are surprised by Awlaki's profile. He has no formal Islamic training and is not seen as a leader within radical Islamist circles. But his influence over young converts in the West means the US does take him seriously. In April 2010, after declaring jihad against America 'binding for every able Muslim', Awlaki became the first American citizen to make the CIA kill list. Earlier this month, he narrowly evaded a drone attack in Yemen, which killed two other alleged al-Qaeda militants. Anwar al-Awlaki: using all the new media weapons of the 21st century to wage a medieval war. Osama... 2.0 For more Hungry Beast, check out our Playlists: Beast Files: http://bit.ly/BeastFiles-HungryBeast Sex: http://bit.ly/Sex-HungryBeast Breaking The Law: http://bit.ly/BreakingTheLaw-HungryBeast Vox Pops: http://bit.ly/VoxPops-HungryBeast Best of the Beast: http://bit.ly/BestoftheBeast-HungryBeast