Cover Story Overview
Anwar al-`Awlaqi: Profile of a Jihadi Radicalizer
Imam Anwar al-`Awlaqi was thrust into the media spotlight following news of his involvement with Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the gunman in the November 5, 2009 shootings that killed 12 U.S. soldiers and a doctor at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas. Despite the increased media focus recently, al-`Awlaqi’s role in furthering the global jihad has not yet been adequately understood. What makes al-`Awlaqi unique is his role in the radicalization process, serving as the critical link that takes dedicated students of Salafi-jihadi ideology from an inspirational to an operational mode.
