American Rapping Jihadi Added to FBI’s Most Wanted
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FBI(WASHINGTON) — An Alabama-born rapping jihadi fighting half a world away is among the new entries on the FBI’s infamous Most Wanted List, the bureau announced Wednesday.
Omar Hammami, also known as Abu Mansoor al-Amriki, has been fighting with the Somalia-based terror group al-Shabaab since 2006. Hammami has allegedly been a propagandist for the al Qaeda-linked group and has released several rap songs praising jihad against the West.
Hammami was originally indicted in the U.S. on terrorism-related charges in 2007 and faced additional charges in a superseding indictment in 2009.
Douglas Astralaga, the Supervisory Special Agent for the FBI in Mobile, Ala., told ABC News he couldn’t comment on exactly why Hammami was being added to the list now, but said there is an ongoing investigation into Hammami’s alleged terrorist activities and, after a lengthy review, information against him “met the criteria” for being added to the list.
Earlier this year Hammami said he feared for his life, but it wasn’t the American government he was worried about. In a video posted online, Hammami said he suspected his fellow militants might turn their guns on him due to ideological “differences.”
He has apparently survived that tiff, but his terror group has been on the losing end of several recent battles in Somalia. In September, al-Shabaab was pushed out of its last urban stronghold in Kismayo by African troops.
In a recent autobiography written by Hammami and posted online, he describes a daily fear of drone strikes and jokes that the drones are “racist” – they prefer to target white people in Somalia.
He may have reason to worry. In late September 2011, a high-profile al Qeada recruiter, Anwar al-Awlaki, and an al Qaeda propagandist, Samir Khan, were killed in a CIA drone strike. Both were American citizens.
In addition to Hammami, the FBI added Raddulan Sahiron, a suspected leader of the Filipino terror group Abu Sayyaf, to the list. The bureau said it is also seeking information about Shayk Aminullah, an alleged recruiter for al Qaeda and the Pakistani-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio