Al Qaeda in America - Adam Yahiye Gadahn

Adam Yahiye Gadahn was born merely twenty minutes up the road from where I currently reside. He grew up in Winchester and Orange County. In October, 2006, Gadahn became the first American in 50 years to be charged with treason.

Gadahn converted to Islam when he was a teenager in Orange County, later attending al-Qaida training camps in Afghanistan, and served as an al-Qaida translator. The Feds have now launched a new overseas campaign to hunt down the man who has played a central role in al-Qaida's propaganda machine. It is believed that he is currently living along the remote Pakistan-Afghanistan border. His family hasn't heard from him since 2001. His parents and siblings continue to keep a low profile in Southern California. In a statement in 2006, Adam's father said, "None of us ever imagined he would eventually get involved with anything like this. Adam has gone against everything our family believes in."

Adam Yahiye Gadahn has appeared in at least eight al-Qaeda propaganda videos. In the videos he describes the 9/11 attacks on America as blessed, and refers to the U.S. as enemy soil. In his most recent video, released in January, Gadahn, wearing a white and red head scarf, ripped apart his American passport.

Gadahn's picture appears next to al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden's on the FBI's "Most Wanted Terrorists" web page. Four years ago federal authorities declared Gadahn a "clear and present danger to America" because of his suspected ties to al-Qaida terror plots.

When the threat that Gadahn poses is taken lightly, terrorism expert Brian Levin says, "When you can take a native English speaker who goes out there, who his part of their propaganda machine, that's something. I don't think the feds would have gone out of their way to charge him with treason if they didn't regard him as someone who is important. Terrorism isn't merely event-driven. It's message and fear-driven. When Gadahn releases his videos, it's a reminder. We're still a threat. We're still here, and you'd better listen."

Americans have become complacent regarding the threat of terrorism. Radicalization is no longer confined to training camps in Afghanistan or other locations distant form our shores. It is also occurring here in the United States.