Report: Awlaki came to Pentagon as guest after 9/11

***COMMANDER*** · 10-23-10, 09:59 AM

from JPOST Report: Awlaki came to Pentagon as guest after 9/11

Al-Qaida leader, wanted by the CIA, was invited to Pentagon as part of Muslim outreach program; US Defense officials offer no explanation.
Anwar al-Awlaki, who has allegedly been tied to terror attacks and is included on the CIA's kill or capture list, attended a lunch at the Pentagon as a guest of the US military just a few months after the Sept. 11 attacks, revealed Fox News Wednesday after obtaining exclusive documents.

Awlawki was reportedly invited to the Pentagon as part of outreach efforts to the Muslim community following 9/11.

An employee of the Defense Department told investigators that she assisted in arranging the meeting with Awlaki after she heard him speak in Virginia.

One of the documents stated, as quoted by Fox News, "At that period in time, the secretary of the Army (redacted) was eager to have a presentation from a moderate Muslim."

The document reportedly added that Awlaki "was considered to be an 'up and coming' member of the Islamic community. After her vetting, Aulaqi (Awlaki) was invited to and attended a luncheon at the Pentagon in the secretary of the Army's Office of Government Counsel."

Awlaki, a Yemeni-American cleric who was questioned by the FBI several times immediately following 9/11 because of his alleged ties to three hijackers that were onboard the plane that crashed into the Pentagon, is also suspected of having ties to Ft. Hood shooter Major Nidal Malik Hasan and to the Christmas Day bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

The Pentagon has not given an explanation for how Awlaki ended up as a guest at the Defense Department headquarters.

Dumbest, most embarrassing, and disgraceful thing I have ever heard of..... Would love to know who the Secretary of the Army was at that time... Down right shameful.

**deputyfestus** · 10-23-10, 10:05 AM

That sounds like a typical police sting without the sting............. DOH!!

**Muqtar SGT_Clintok** · 10-23-10, 10:39 AM

I would be more interested to know what type of connections were apparent at the time of the invite or prior to it. If this knucklehead had not really made his feelings regarding the killing of Americans public, then I would sum it up as yet another politically correct stunt, and that is nothing new or surprising. The precedent has been set that one cannot assume anything about a person or group until after they blow themselves up, at which point its way too late. The shelving of intuition due to political correctness is a trait of the United States that Islamists are aware of and depend on.

If he had previously voiced an opinion that he was down with killing Americans, then this story rises to the level of stupidity that Commander originally pointed out. I don't think you can judge the leadership at the PNT for inviting him specifically if he had not signaled his beliefs prior to the incident. At that time he was just one of the vast majority of peace loving tolerant muslims. In fact, one should look to the US to see what we did that could cause him to have such a dramatic change of heart and leave his moderate status.

***COMMANDER*** · 10-23-10, 10:47 AM

I am willing to believe that he was not to moderate then as well, but maybe we will find out soon enough.

**deputyfestus** · 10-23-10, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by ***COMMANDER***

I am willing to believe that he was not to moderate then as well, but maybe we will find out soon enough.

I'm sure lefty will be here shortly to tell you.

**triggerhappy2005** · 10-23-10, 03:54 PM

The article is unclear as to his criminal status at the time of the invite. Without this info, there's nowhere to go with the story. For the record, I won't blame Bush either way for this as I know the CIA tends to operate w/o the Presidents knowledge.