Death threat against terror expert

By Nasser Arrabyee/17/04/2010

An expert on terrorism affairs received a death threat in a public place from a religious extremist for talking to journalists and criticizing Al Qaeda.

The author of the book, Al Qaeda in Yemen, Saeed Obaid, said Saturday that he received a death threat from the brother of Anwar Al Awlaki who was recently put in the CIA "kill or capture" list for being involved in many terrorist incidents.


Obaid said he had reported the incident to the Yemeni general prosecutor and the ministry of interior calling them to do their job for protecting his life.

The incident took place on Friday after noon April 16th, 2010, when the young man, Omar Nasser Al Awlaki, came to the yard of the mosque of Al Mumeneen in Al Rebat Street in Sana'a and tried to attack Saeed Obaid in front of tens of worshipers. Al Mumeneen mosque is one of two mosques in this neighborhood of Al Rebat where Anwar Al Awlaki used to preach. The second mosque is called Al Ansar.

"The young man was very angry at me and if it were not for the worshipers who stopped and held him, he would have attacked me, and I do not know why," Obaid told me.


"He insulted me with words that I can not now say, they are very bad words," said Obaid who always receives local and international journalists in his house as an expert on terrorism.

Obaid's house is in the same street and only few meters from the house of Anwar Al Awlaki's family in Al Rebat Street in Sana'a.

"He (Omar Al Awlaki) told me while shouting angrily in the yard of the mosque, if you want to be an agent or a mercenary, you can do that far from us," Obaid said.

"I will crack your head open, if you do not stop being an agent against us."

Al Awlaki, the younger brother of Anwar, was angry because Saeed Obaid always receives journalists including American journalists, in his house.

Al Awlaki's family refuse to talk to journalists especially the Americans, about their fugitive son, Anwar.