The leader of al-Qaeda’s Yemen branch is urging fellow Islamists in the United States to assassinate President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, tech billionaire Elon Musk, and other U.S. leaders, calling them “scum of the earth and its greatest criminals.”
In a chilling video message that appeared online Saturday, Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki encouraged his followers to assassinate the leaders because they support Israel’s war against Hamas.
“There are no red lines after what happened and is happening to our people in Gaza,” al-Awlaki said in his first propaganda video since taking over the terror group last year. “Reciprocity is legitimate.”
“I call upon every Muslim in the infidel, criminal, and arrogant United States … I am saying to all of them revenge, revenge!” he declared.
Al-Awlaki stressed that it doesn’t matter whether the terrorists are “Arab, American or other descent, what matters is that should be Muslims whose prophet is Muhammed.” He correctly noted that there are roughly 4.5 million Muslims in the United States.
The al Qaeda leader went on to caution his followers hatch their assassination plots in secret.
“Do not consult anyone about killing infidel Americans,” he said, before specifying who should be targeted.
“Go after the scum of the earth and its greatest criminals: This is Trump and his vice president; this is Elon Musk, his advisor; these are his secretary of State and his secretary of Defense,” al-Awlaki said.
As the terrorist said these words, images of Trump (alongside Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America), Vance, Musk (with images of Musk’s business logos), Secretary of State Marco Rubio (with Ash Wednesday ashes on his forehead), and Secretary of State Pete Hegseth flashed across the screen.
Al-Awlaki encouraged his followers in the United States to also “go after their families” and “all those who have any ties or are close to the politicians in the White House.”
The half-hour propaganda video also included calls for lone-wolf terrorists to assassinate leaders in Egypt, Jordan, and the Gulf Arab states over the war.
Al-Qaeda’s Yemen branch, known by the acronym AQAP, is considered the most dangerous branch of al-Qaeda, according to the Times of Israel.
Al-Awlaki already has a $6 million US bounty on his head, as Washington says he “has publicly called for attacks against the United States and its allies.” He replaced AQAP leader Khalid al-Batarfi, whose death was announced by the group in 2024.
AQAP seizing onto the Israel-Hamas war follows the efforts of Yemen’s Houthi rebels to do the same. The Iranian-backed group has launched missile attacks on Israel and targeted commercial vessels moving through the Red Sea corridor, as well as American warships.
The Trump administration launched an intense campaign of strikes on the Houthis, which only ended before the president’s recent trip to the Middle East.
It is estimated that AQAP has between 3,000 and 4,000 active fighters and passive members. The terrorists reportedly raise money by robbing banks, smuggling weapons, counterfeiting currencies and conducting ransom operations.
In his video message, Al-Awalaki praised those who have carried out antisemitic terror attacks on civilians.
“Do not leave a single safe place for Jews — just as they have not left any homes, shelters, or respite for the Palestinians,” he said. “Even hospitals are being bombed over the heads of the sick and wounded, and the heads of the women, children and the elderly. Take revenge.”