On July 20th, Anwar al-Aulaqi, an operative of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, a Yemen-based terrorist group, was added to the United Nations 1267 Committee's Consolidated list of individuals and entities associated with al-Qaida or the Taliban. The United Nations 1267 Committee's list of al-Aulaqi requires all UN member states to implement an assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo against this individual.
According to Ambassador Daniel Benjamin, the Department of State's Coordinator for Counterterrorism, "The designation of Anwar al-Aulaqi is in direct response to the operational role he plays in AQAP, and most importantly because of the integral part he played in planning AQAP's attempted destruction of Northwest Airlines flight 253 over the United States. Anwar al-Aulaqi and AQAP actively engage in terrorist plotting with the intent to harm U.S. citizens. The UN's listing of al-Aulaqi highlights the threat al-Aulaqi poses to the international community."
On July 16th, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Anwar al-Aulaqi a key AQAP leader under Executive Order 13224. This was pursuant to an order by President Barack Obama for supporting acts of terrorism and for acting for or on behalf of AQAP. Executive Order 13224 freezes any assets al-Aulaqi has under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in any transactions with him.
"Anwar al-Aulaqi has proven that he is extraordinarily dangerous, committed to carrying out attacks on Americans and others worldwide," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levy. "He has involved himself in every aspect of the supply chain of terrorism – fundraising for terrorist groups, recruiting and training operatives, and planning and ordering attacks on innocents."
Since late 2009, al-Aulaqi has taken on an increasingly operational role in the group, including preparing Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who attempted to detonate an explosive device aboard a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on December 25, 2009, for his terrorist attack.
The United States Government will continue to work with allies to identify and take action against persons acting for, or providing financial or other support for Anwar al-Aulaqi and the AQAP.