US officials noted that Anwar al-Awlaki had considerable reach within the US . A former FBI agent identified Awlaki as a known " senior recruiter for al-Qaeda " , and a spiritual motivator . Awlaki 's sermons in the US were attended by three of the 9/11 hijackers , and accused Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan . US intelligence intercepted emails from Hasan to Awlaki between December 2008 and early 2009 . On his website , Awlaki has praised Hasan 's actions in the Fort Hood shooting
Fort Hood shooter
2009 Fort Hood shooting
Al-Qaeda