Pakistan: American al-Qaeda Spokesman Captured

Pakistani Officials Say Gadahn Was Captured Days Ago

Update 3/7/10 6:15 PM EST:

CNN is quoting American officials as saying they don’t believe that Pakistan actually caught Gadahn.

According to Pakistani officials, American al-Qaeda spokesman Adam Yahiye Gadahn (born Adam Pearlman) was captured days ago near Karachi and is currently in the custody of the Pakistani government.

Gadahn, born in 1978, grew up in Riverside County, California, and converted to Islam at a mosque in Orange County. His father Philip Gadahn is a musician. He initially issued statements for al-Qaeda under the name Azzam the American (Azzam al-Ameriki) starting in 2004.

A long-standing target of the US government for his role in al-Qaeda, Gadahn was indicted on federal charges of treason in 2006. The indictment charged him with giving al-Qaeda “aid and comfort.” He was also reported killed in early 2008 by a US drone strike, though this was later revealed not to be the case.

Interestingly enough, news of Gadahn’s capture comes at the same time that a new Gadahn video has emerged, in which he praises Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan and urges other Muslims to follow his example.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.