Muslim Cleric Tied To 9/11 Liked Hookers, FBI Says
Jul. 3 2013, Published 10:40 a.m. ET
Anwar al-Awlaki, the late Muslim cleric who spiritually advised three of the 9/11 hijackers, had a longtime penchant for prostitutes, according to FBI reports.
FBI said that the New Mexico-born al-Awlaki -- the first U.S. citizen placed on the kill-or-capture list, who died in the U.S.'s Sept. 2011 drone strike in Yemen -- was under surveillance beginning in Nov. 2001, two months after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
In four months, al-Awlaki -- who preached in favor of a chaste, clean lifestyle -- spent $2,320 on hookers in the Washington, D.C. Area he resided in, spread over the course of seven occasions, NBC News reported.
The hookers later spoke with FBI officials, saying that the cleric claimed he was an engineer from India and used a fake name.
During his time attending San Diego State University, al-Awlaki was arrested twice in connection with solicitation of prostitutes.