( CNN ) He was known as the American mouthpiece of al Qaeda , speaking against his native country on behalf of a terrorist organization that 's devoted blood and resources to attacking it . But not anymore . The White House announced Thursday that Adam Gadahn , 36 , was killed in January in a U.S. government counterterrorism operation . Neither he nor Ahmed Farouq -- another U.S. citizen and al Qaeda operative who died in what the White House said was `` likely a separate '' operation -- was specifically targeted , according to the statement . Warren Weinstein , a U.S. citizen who was abducted by al Qaeda in Pakistan in 2011 , died along with another hostage , Italian Giovanni Lo Porto , in the attack that killed Farouq , according to the White House . White House : U.S. hostage killed in strike on al Qaeda . While he was n't one of al Qaeda 's top leaders , Gadahn was one of its most prominent members , given his many statements on behalf of the organization . Also known as Azzam the American , he was born in 1978 . His parents changed their name from Pearlman to Gadahn after their marriage . He grew up on a farm in rural California and at age 18 moved in with his paternal grandparents , who were Jewish . He converted to Islam in 1995 and left the United States for Pakistan three years later . His father said Gadahn last contacted the family in 2002 . A former al Qaeda member who later grew disillusioned with the group told CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank that he was tasked with greeting Gadahn at Peshawar airport in September 1998 . Gadahn , who 'd just just turned 20 , had taken flights from the United States to London , then on to Karachi and Peshawar . The former operative planned to take Gadahn to a pizzeria after he landed , before accompanying him by bus to al Qaeda 's encampments in Afghanistan . But Gadahn told him he 'd been longing for some Afghan food , so they went to an Afghan restaurant instead before setting out on the road . The former operative said that after Gadahn joined al Qaeda , he was known as Abu Suhayb . In the years after 9/11 , Gadahn rose through the ranks in the tribal areas of Pakistan , becoming its chief official English-language propagandist . He emerged in the mid-2000s on al Qaeda videos , including ones threatening attacks on Los Angeles and Melbourne , Australia . At first he was disguised . Sometimes he spoke in English , but in other videos he spoke in Arabic . He urged Muslims to target American , Western and Jewish interests with hopes of toppling the regime in Pakistan , according to SITE , a group that monitors terrorists and terror activity online . A federal grand jury in California indicted Gadahn in 2006 for treason and material support to al Qaeda , charges related to his alleged involvement in terrorist activities that included `` providing aid and comfort '' and other services to al Qaeda , the FBI said . He was among the FBI 's `` Most Wanted Terrorists . '' In 2007 , he appeared on another al Qaeda video in which he warned America to end its involvement in the affairs of predominantly Muslim countries . `` Your failure to heed our demands ... means that you and your people will ... experience things which will make you forget about the horrors of September 11 , Afghanistan and Iraq and Virginia Tech , '' he said , the last reference being to the mass shooting at the Virginia university in 2007 . In separate videos over the years , he criticized President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama , whom he called `` a devious , evasive and serpentine American president with a Muslim name . '' He also addressed his Jewish ancestry and tore up his U.S. passport on camera . Gadahn appeared in videos commemorating the 9/11 attacks , some which included al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri . He urged Muslims in the United States to stage their own lone-wolf attacks . `` America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms , '' he said . `` You can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle without a background check and most likely without having to show an identification card . So what are you waiting for ? '' In other videos , he called Nidal Hasan , the Army officer sentenced to death in the 2009 shootings at Fort Hood , Texas , `` the ideal role model for every repentant Muslim in the armies of the unbelievers and apostate regimes , '' and praised the 2012 killing of U.S . Ambassador Chris Stevens in Benghazi , Libya . His final video was posted online in September 2014 by al Qaeda media wing al Sahab . He called for Muslims to work to overthrow governments in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan . Cruickshank said Gadahn had begun to play an increasingly prominent institutional role inside al Qaeda . Among the documents recovered from Osama bin Laden 's compound in Abbottabad after bin Laden 's death was a 2011 letter from Gadahn making recommendations for al Qaeda 's media strategy . Gadahn was married to a Muslim woman from Afghanistan and reportedly had at least one child . CNN 's Steve Almasy contributed to this report .
In his final known video , Adam Gadahn called for governments of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to be overthrown . He also said that the United States should not intervene in Syria because it would lead to a civil war between Muslims and Christians.