Leader Of Al-Qaeda In Arabian Peninsula Calls For Muslims To Assassinate Trump, American Officials

The emir of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) directed American Muslims to assassinate President Donald Trump, calling assassinations “the greatest form of jihad today” in a video released by AQAP over the weekend and translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute.

The leader, Sa’ad bin Atef al-Awlaki, also listed Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Elon Musk, and the U.S. Senate as targets, calling them “the scum of the earth.” The video showed photos and footage of American officials as al-Awlaki identified them.

“Go after them and their families and all those who have any ties or are close to the politicians of the White House,” al-Awlaki said. “There are no red lines after all that has been happening to our people in Gaza.”

Al-Awlaki pointed to non-Muslim violence, including the attempted assassination of Trump in July of 2024, as examples for Muslims to follow.

“Do not consult anyone about killing infidel Americans,” al-Awlaki said.

AQAP is an affiliate of the Sunni Islamist terrorist organization al-Qaeda, which was founded by Osama bin Laden, according to a Congressional Research Service report. The group primarily operates in Yemen.

Al-Awlaki has led AQAP after the sudden death of its previous leader in March 2024, according to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. The United States is offering a reward of up to $6 million for information about al-Awlaki due to previous calls for attacks against the United States.

Al-Awlaki also told Muslims to attack U.S. military bases, as well as U.S. companies such as Microsoft and Tesla. He also directed Muslim hackers to “go after the American economy.”

Al-Awlaki said American Muslims should “take revenge” against “those who support the war in Gaza” and concluded by calling for Muslims to attack Jews in the United States and Europe.

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“Do not leave a single safe place for Jews, just as they have not left any homes, shelters, or respite for the Palestinians,” al-Awlaki said.

The AQAP has weakened since its peak in the 2010s, according to FDD, but it remains “a significant threat to Yemen and further afield.” A United Nations report said AQAP has maintained connections with Al-Qaeda’s central leadership.

The video comes after Trump recently banned travel from Yemen and other countries with inadequate “information-sharing and identity-management procedures,” The Daily Wire previously reported. The memorandum cited protecting American citizens from terrorist attacks as a reason for the ban.

The most recent report to the United Nations Security Council said al-Awlaki has “consolidated control of” AQAP since becoming the terrorist group’s leader.

“The media arm of AQAP, considered by many to be Al-Qaeda’s strongest, exploited conflicts, including the Gaza and Israel conflict, to recruit and incite lone actors to conduct attacks,” the report said.