Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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It was the first killing of an American citizen by his own government, without a trial, on foreign soil. And it was President Barack Obama who approved the order.

Anwar al-Awlaki found the limits of American citizenship – but not before he inspired over a dozen terror plots around the world.

So, what happened to transform al-Awlaki from a wildly popular and mild-mannered preacher, to one of Al Qaeda's most notorious leaders?

Host: Aslan Pahari
Producer: Hannah Jose
Audio Engineer: Emrys Cronin
Video Producers: Tejas Bhat, Dylan Behan
Special thanks: Michael Osmond for archives research
Supervising Producer: Kyla Slaven
Executive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica Radburn

To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world’s most shocking assassinations – from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you’ll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end.

Chapters
00:00 Opening
01:14 Intro
01:49 Boston 2013
02:39 Inspire Magazine
04:19 Student Preacher
06:41 First Signs
10:02 Troubles Worsen
13:07 Al-Awlaki Flees
14:39 South Park
17:13 Outro

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