Plane ‘Plotter’ met radical Yemen Cleric’ Al-Awlaki. (BBC)
A senior Yemeni official has confirmed that Nigerian Christmas day bomber met a radical Muslim cleric by name Anwar Al-Awlaki while he was in Yemen. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab met the cleric when he visited Shabwa province. There are clues of direct contact between the two men. Mr. Abdulmutallab was charged on six counts by a grand jury on Wednesday. Charges against him include; attempted murder of the 290 people on board the flight and attempted use of weapon of mass destruction.
The Muslim cleric is believed to be a part of al –Qaeda and was behind the US army Major’s attack on thirteen of his collogues in Fort Hood army base in Texas last November. Reports say the cleric was killed shortly before the Christmas day attack in an airstrike on a suspected al-Qaeda base. Family and friends say he was not harmed in the attack.