Intelligence memos warn of Awlaki's call to kill Americans

Washington, June 16 (ANI): Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born cleric residing in Yemen, appears to be determined to kill American civilians, according to two intelligence memos accessed by Fox News.

The two documents, which are for official use only, warn how the cleric's escalating rhetoric could attract dangerous followers inside the United States.

The first memo, which refers to the cleric as Aulaqi, was written by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis and dated May 26. It warned that the cleric could "inspire" groups to launch terror attacks.

The intelligence "note," which was written for federal and non-federal security agencies, points specifically to Awlaki's video message May 23 which was posted to a jihadist website.

A second intelligence memo confirms a widely held belief that Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula or Al Qaeda in Yemen has set its sights on the West.

The document from Intelink, which disseminates information across the intelligence community, stated that the failed Christmas Day bombing indicates "the group is also prepared to strike directly at the West itself, and to operate beyond the Arabian Peninsula for the first time."

U.S. counterterrorism officials see Awlaki as a rising force within Al Qaeda, who inspires or blesses suicide missions, and who has taken on an operational role in the plotting of attacks against the United States. (ANI)