In a video message posted to a website on Sunday by a Yemeni offshoot of al-Qaeda, U.S.-born cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki called on Muslims to kill U.S. civilians.

The cleric, who moved to Yemen in 2004, defended his position, saying the U.S. has purposely killed Muslim civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan and other nations.

Is al Awlaki the next Osama bin Laden? CBN News Terror Analyst Erick Stakelbeck offers more insight, as seen on Monday's edition of Newswatch. Click play for his comments.

He added that American civilians are to blame because "the American people, in general, are taking part in this and they elected this administration and they are financing the war."

Some believe al Awlaki's Internet messages have been instrumental in inspiring attacks like last year's shooting at Fort Hood and the foiled effort to blow up a jetliner bound for Detroit on Christmas Day.

"Those who might be killed in a plane are merely a drop of water in a sea," he said in the video in response to a question about Muslim groups that disapproved of the airliner plot because it targeted civilians.

Meanwhile, the White House has vowed to continue to hunt al Awlaki, who has reportedly been added to the CIA's list of targets for assassination.

"The president will continue to take action directly at terrorists like Awlaki and keep our country safe from their murderous thugs," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2010/May/US-born-Yemeni-Cle ric-Kill-US-Citizens-/ - More>  

Source: http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/ - CBNnews.com

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