Yemen would not hand over a U.S.-born, al-Qaida-linked cleric to the United States because the country's law bans extradition of its citizens, a Yemeni official said Tuesday.
The radical Yemeni-American cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, is believed to be hiding in Yemen since 2004.
The U.S. says he is an active al-Qaida recruiter and has placed him on the CIA's list of targets for assassination, despite his American citizenship. Yemen's al-Qaida offshoot last month released a video of al-Awlaki calling for the killing of Americans.
Al-Awlaki is also believed to have helped inspire recent attacks in the U.S., including the Fort Hood shooting, the Times Square bombing attempt and the failed Christmas Day airline bombing.
Yemen's Islamic Affairs Minister Hamoud al-Hitar told The Associated Press that Yemen is encouraging al-Awlaki to turn himself in, but if and when in Yemeni custody, he will not be extradited to the U.S.
"There are constitutional and legal texts the government cannot get around," al-Hitar said.
He said the U.S. should provide any proof it has of al-Awlaki's terrorist ties "to the Yemeni justice system, so it can do its job."
By: Brant
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