Updated April 21, 2010

Congressman Wants Radical Cleric's Citizenship Revoked

FOXNews.com

A U.S. lawmaker is seeking to revoke the American citizenship of radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who is known for his inflammatory anti-American teachings and his communications with Maj. Nidal Hasan, the suspected shooter in the Fort Hood rampage in November.

A U.S. lawmaker is seeking to revoke the American citizenship of radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who is known for his inflammatory anti-American teachings and his communications with Maj. Nidal Hasan, the suspected shooter in the Fort Hood rampage in November.

Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., introduced a resolution Wednesday urging the Obama administration to strip al-Awlaki of his American citizenship, arguing that the cleric voluntarily renounced his citizenship by recruiting terrorists.

"As recent reports highlight, the U.S. government views al-Awlaki as a proven threat, and will take him dead or alive," Dent said in a written statement, referring to Obama's approval of the targeted killing of al-Awlaki. "Being a citizen of the United States of America is more than a right; it's a responsibility."

"By his own actions, al-Awlaki has voluntarily surrendered his citizenship, and we should take the necessary steps to acknowledge that," he said. "Further should al-Awlaki be captured, his rights should be limited to those of an alien held abroad in military detention."

As part of an ongoing investigation, Fox News has learned that al-Awlaki, who has dual citizenship in America and Yemen, was a spiritual adviser to at least two of the Sept. 11 hijackers and he is the link between the attempted Christmas Day bombing suspect Farouk Abdulmutullab and the bombmaker in Yemen.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04 ... olitics%29