Adam Gadahn

Adam Gadahn was an American convert to Islam who became a spokesman and propagandist for al-Qaeda, joining the group in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region in 1998. Starting in 2004, Gadahn appeared in multiple al-Qaeda videos calling for attacks on the United States.Associated Press, “American-Born Al Qaeda Spokesman Lashes Out at U.S. in New Tape,” Fox News, January 6, 2008, http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/01/06/american-born-al-qaeda-spokesman-lashes-out-at-us-in-new-tape.html. He was charged with treason in 2006, making him the first American to be indicted on the charge since the World War II era.Greg Krikorian and Richard B. Schmitt, “Adam Gadahn videos lead to treason charge,” Los Angeles Times, October 12, 2006, http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-adam-gadahn-the-california-suburban-terrorist-killed-by-us-20150423-story.html. Gadahn died in a U.S. drone strike near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in January 2015.Greg Botelho and Ralph Ellis, “Adam Gadahn, American mouthpiece for al Qaeda, killed,” CNN, April 23, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/23/world/adam-gadahn-al-qaeda/. He was one of the first Americans to join a foreign terrorist organization, leading the FBI to describe him as “a new breed of home-grown extremist [who chooses] to betray the country of his birth.”“Most Wanted Terrorist – American Charged With Treason,” FBI, October 11, 2006, https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2006/october/gadahn_101106.

The son of a Jewish father and a Catholic mother, Gadahn and his siblings were raised on a goat farm in Riverside County, California.Joseph Serna and Shelby Grad, “Adam Gadahn: Al Qaeda terrorist, California native and grandson of a Jew,” Los Angeles Times, April 23, 2015, http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-adam-gadahn-the-california-suburban-terrorist-killed-by-us-20150423-story.html. Gadahn converted to Islam in 1995 at the age of 17 at the Islamic Society of Orange County in California. The following year, he moved in with his paternal grandparents in Santa Ana.Greg Botelho and Ralph Ellis, “Adam Gadahn, American mouthpiece for al Qaeda, killed,” CNN, April 23, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/23/world/adam-gadahn-al-qaeda/. Gadahn’s Jewish paternal grandfather, Carl Pearlman, was a national board member of the Anti-Defamation League and chair of the United Jewish Welfare Fund.Stav Ziv, “American Adam Gadahn, Death Metal Fan Turned Al-Qaeda Propagandist, Killed by U.S.,” Newsweek, April 23, 2015, http://www.newsweek.com/american-adam-gadahn-death-metal-fan-turned-al-qaeda-propagandist-killed-us-324465.

Gadahn purportedly radicalized under the influence of Hisham Diab while attending the Islamic Society of Orange County in the mid- to late-1990s. Diab was an acolyte of “blind sheikh” Omar Abdel-Rahman, who had previously lectured on violent jihad at the mosque in 1992. Gadahn and Diab began referring to the mosque’s leaders as “infidels” due to their interfaith outreach. Gadahn also became involved with Diab’s non-profit group, Charity Without Borders, which was ultimately closed by the U.S. government after the September 11 attacks for funneling money to extremists in the Middle East.Joseph Serna and Shelby Grad, “Adam Gadahn: Al Qaeda terrorist, California native and grandson of a Jew,” Los Angeles Times, April 23, 2015, http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-adam-gadahn-the-california-suburban-terrorist-killed-by-us-20150423-story.html;
Raffi Khatchadourian, “Azzam the American,” New Yorker, January 22, 2007, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/01/22/azzam-the-american;
Nick Schou, “So I Married a Terrorist…,” OC Weekly, April 19, 2007, http://www.ocweekly.com/news/so-i-married-a-terrorist-6366845. In 1997, Gadahn was arrested for assaulting one of the mosque’s leaders. He pled guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery, receiving a sentenced of two days in jail and community service. He was subsequently banned from the mosque.Greg Botelho and Ralph Ellis, “Adam Gadahn, American mouthpiece for al Qaeda, killed,” CNN, April 23, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/23/world/adam-gadahn-al-qaeda/.

In September 1998, Diab’s Charity Without Borders allegedly paid for then-20-year-old Gadahn to fly from the United States to Pakistan. An al-Qaeda operative reportedly met Gadahn at the airport in Peshawar, and accompanied him to an al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan. Gadahn briefly traveled to the United States the following year for his grandfather’s funeral and then returned to Pakistan, telling his parents he was working as a journalist. Gadahn’s parents last heard from him in 2002.Greg Botelho and Ralph Ellis, “Adam Gadahn, American mouthpiece for al Qaeda, killed,” CNN, April 23, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/23/world/adam-gadahn-al-qaeda/;
Raffi Khatchadourian, “Azzam the American,” New Yorker, January 22, 2007, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/01/22/azzam-the-american.

U.S. officials reportedly detected Gadahn’s name in al-Qaeda communications prior to the 9/11 attacks. However, the officials failed to recognize his importance until 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) repeatedly mentioned Gadahn during interrogations following KSM’s 2003 capture.Raffi Khatchadourian, “Azzam the American,” New Yorker, January 22, 2007, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/01/22/azzam-the-american. KSM told interrogators that he had tried to recruit Gadahn for a suicide mission, but that Gadahn had refused due to his recent marriage.Raffi Khatchadourian, “Azzam the American,” New Yorker, January 22, 2007, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/01/22/azzam-the-american. In October 2004, Gadahn made the first of several video appearances in al-Qaeda propaganda, praising Osama bin Laden and threatening attacks against the United States.“Adam Gadahn Fast Facts,” CNN, last updated August 17, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/23/us/adam-gadahn-fast-facts/index.html.

In October 2006, a California grand jury charged Gadahn in absentia with treason and providing material support to al-Qaeda.Joseph Serna and Shelby Grad, “Adam Gadahn: Al Qaeda terrorist, California native and grandson of a Jew,” Los Angeles Times, April 23, 2015, http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-adam-gadahn-the-california-suburban-terrorist-killed-by-us-20150423-story.html. Also that month, the FBI added Gadahn to its Most Wanted Terrorists list and the U.S. Department of State offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest.“Most Wanted Terrorist – American Charged With Treason,” FBI, October 11, 2006, https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2006/october/gadahn_101106.

In a May 2007 al-Qaeda video, Gadahn demanded that the United States withdraw its forces from every Muslim country; end all support and aid to the “56 plus apostate regimes of the Muslim world”; end support for Israel; release all Muslim prisoners; and end perceived interference in Islamic affairs, media, and education.“American Al-Qaeda Operative Adam Gadahn in Message to President Bush: Your People Will Experience Things That Will Make You Forget the Horrors of September 11, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Virginia Tech,” MEMRI, June 3, 2007, https://www.memri.org/reports/american-al-qaeda-operative-adam-gadahn-message-president-bush-your-people-will-experience. In a January 2008 video, Gadahn tore up his U.S. passport and called on Middle Eastern Muslims to “receive” then-U.S. President George W. Bush with bombs and booby-trapped vehicles during Bush’s upcoming visit to the region.Associated Press, “American-Born Al Qaeda Spokesman Lashes Out at U.S. in New Tape,” Fox News, January 6, 2008, http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/01/06/american-born-al-qaeda-spokesman-lashes-out-at-us-in-new-tape.html.

Documents seized from Osama bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound after his 2011 death reveal that Gadahn had regular contact with the al-Qaeda leader. “The Osama bin Laden documents,” CNN, last updated May 3, 2012, http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/03/world/osama-bin-laden-documents/;
Matthew Grimson, “Adam Gadahn, al Qaeda Leader Killed in U.S. Drone Strike, Was a Wanted Man,” NBC News, April 23, 2015, http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/american-al-qaeda-leader-adam-gadahn-dead-drone-strke-state-n346891. According to the documents, Gadahn advised bin Laden to cut ties with al-Qaeda in Iraq because of that group’s multiple supposed failures. Gadahn also wrote to bin Laden that al-Qaeda had not been properly credited for causing the U.S. economic recession that began in 2008. He also advised on U.S. news channels, describing ABC as “all right,” while Fox News “falls into the abyss” and should “die in her anger.”“Osama Bin Laden documents released,” BBC News, May 1, 2012, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-17941778;
“Fox News, Al Qaeda's least favorite TV network,” Fox News, March 16, 2012, http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/03/16/fox-news-al-qaedas-least-favorite-television-news-network.html.

Gadahn was killed in a U.S. drone strike near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border on January 19, 2015.Matthew Grimson, “Adam Gadahn, al Qaeda Leader Killed in U.S. Drone Strike, Was a Wanted Man,” NBC News, April 23, 2015, http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/american-al-qaeda-leader-adam-gadahn-dead-drone-strke-state-n346891. According to the White House, Gadahn was not specifically targeted.Greg Botelho and Ralph Ellis, “Adam Gadahn, American mouthpiece for al Qaeda, killed,” CNN, April 23, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/23/world/adam-gadahn-al-qaeda/.

Also Known As

Extremist entity
Al-Qaeda
Read Threat Report
Type(s) of Organization:
Non-state actor, religious, terrorist, transnational, violent
Ideologies and Affiliations:
Jihadist, pan-Islamist, Qutbist, Salafist, Sunni, takfiri
Position(s):
Foreign fighter, spokesman, translator, propagandist

Al-Qaeda’s 9/11 attacks was the deadliest ever on American soil, killing nearly 3,000 people. Since the fall of the Taliban, al-Qaeda has established operations worldwide, including in Syria, the Gulf, North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, and the Indian subcontinent.

  • Rhetoric

2011

Al-Qaeda video:
“America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms. You can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle, without a background check, and most likely without having to show an identification card. So what are you waiting for?”Sudip Bhattacharya, “Al Qaeda video resurfaces claiming how easy it is to buy guns in U.S.,” CNN, last updated April 12, 2013, http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/11/politics/al-qaeda-video/index.html.

“As you start to make your plans, you shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking that military bases are the only high-value targets in America and the West. On the contrary, there are countless other strategic places, institutions and installations which, by striking, the Muslim can do major damage to the Crusader West and further our global agenda and long-range strategic objectives… We must keep in mind how even apparently unsuccessful attacks on Western mass transportation systems can bring major cities to a halt, cost the enemy billions and send his corporations into bankruptcy.”“Adam Gadahn: “Al Qaeda’s American Voice,” Anti-Defamation League, accessed March 16, 2015, http://archive.adl.org/terrorism/profiles/adam_gadahn/words.html?m_flipmode=2.

“Regrettably, Christianity today…is nothing but various combinations of Jesus worship, Mariolatry, iconolatry, cross-worship, saint-worship, and even pope and priest worship, not to mention blatant idolatry…”“Adam Gadahn: “Al Qaeda’s American Voice,” Anti-Defamation League, accessed March 16, 2015, http://archive.adl.org/terrorism/profiles/adam_gadahn/words.html?m_flipmode=2.

January 6, 2008

Al-Qaeda video:
“Now we direct an urgent call to our militant brothers in Muslim Palestine and the Arab peninsula ... to be ready to receive the Crusader slayer Bush in his visit to Muslim Palestine and the Arab peninsula in the beginning of January and to receive him not with flowers or clapping but with bombs and booby-trapped vehicles.”Associated Press, “American-Born Al Qaeda Spokesman Lashes Out at U.S. in New Tape,” Fox News, January 6, 2008, http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/01/06/american-born-al-qaeda-spokesman-lashes-out-at-us-in-new-tape.html.

January 6, 2008

Al-Qaeda video:
“Now we direct an urgent call to our militant brothers in Muslim Palestine and the Arab peninsula ... to be ready to receive the Crusader slayer Bush in his visit to Muslim Palestine and the Arab peninsula in the beginning of January and to receive him not with flowers or clapping but with bombs and booby-trapped vehicles.”Associated Press, “American-Born Al Qaeda Spokesman Lashes Out at U.S. in New Tape,” Fox News, January 6, 2008, http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/01/06/american-born-al-qaeda-spokesman-lashes-out-at-us-in-new-tape.html.

“Cease all interference in the religion, society, politics, and governance of the Muslim world. And leave us alone to establish the Islamic shura state, which will unite the Muslims of [the] earth in truth and justice. A single word of American protest shall be silenced by a thousand Islamic bombs.”“Adam Gadahn: “Al Qaeda’s American Voice,” Anti-Defamation League, accessed March 16, 2015, http://archive.adl.org/terrorism/profiles/adam_gadahn/words.html?m_flipmode=2.

“End all support, moral, military, economic, political, or otherwise, to the bastard state of Israel, and ban your citizens, Zionist Jews, Zionist Christians, and the rest from traveling to occupied Palestine or settling there. Even one penny of aid will be considered sufficient justification to continue the fight.”“Adam Gadahn: “Al Qaeda’s American Voice,” Anti-Defamation League, accessed March 16, 2015, http://archive.adl.org/terrorism/profiles/adam_gadahn/words.html?m_flipmode=2.

May 2007

Al-Qaeda video address to President George W. Bush:
“Your failure to heed our demands, and the demands of reason, means that you and your people will, Allah willing, experience things which will make you forget all about the horrors of September 11, Afghanistan and Iraq, and Virginia Tech.”“American Al-Qaeda Operative Adam Gadahn in Message to President Bush: Your People Will Experience Things That Will Make You Forget the Horrors of September 11, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Virginia Tech,” MEMRI, June 3, 2007, https://www.memri.org/reports/american-al-qaeda-operative-adam-gadahn-message-president-bush-your-people-will-experience.

“I’m not saying that we should go and slaughter their women and children one by one, like they did ours, at Haditha, and Ishaqi, and Mahmudiya, and God knows where else, even if some of our legal experts have permitted that…But what I am saying is that when we bomb their cities and civilians, like they bomb ours, or destroy their infrastructure and means of transportation, like they destroy ours, or kidnap their non-combatants, like they kidnap ours, no sane Muslim should shed tears for them.”“Adam Gadahn: “Al Qaeda’s American Voice,” Anti-Defamation League, accessed March 16, 2015, http://archive.adl.org/terrorism/profiles/adam_gadahn/words.html?m_flipmode=2.

“Yesterday, London and Madrid. Tomorrow, Los Angeles and Melbourne, Allah willing. And this time, don’t count on us demonstrating restraint or compassion… [W]e love nothing better than the heat of battle, the echo of explosions, and slitting the throats of the infidels.”“Adam Gadahn: “Al Qaeda’s American Voice,” Anti-Defamation League, accessed March 16, 2015, http://archive.adl.org/terrorism/profiles/adam_gadahn/words.html?m_flipmode=2.

September 2005

Al-Qaeda video:
“Yesterday, London and Madrid. Tomorrow, Los Angeles and Melbourne.”Greg Krikorian and Richard B. Schmitt, “Adam Gadahn videos lead to treason charge,” Los Angeles Times, October 12, 2006, http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-adam-gadahn-the-california-suburban-terrorist-killed-by-us-20150423-story.html.

September 2005

Al-Qaeda video:
“We love nothing better than the heat of battle, the echo of explosions, and slitting the throats of the infidels.”Raffi Khatchadourian, “Azzam the American,” New Yorker, January 22, 2007, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/01/22/azzam-the-american.

“Fighting and defeating America is our first priority… People of America… you too shall pay the price for the blood that has been spilled… The magnitude and ferocity of what is coming your way will make you forget all about September 11th… The streets of America shall run red with blood… casualties will be too many to count and the next wave of attacks may come at any moment.”“Adam Gadahn: “Al Qaeda’s American Voice,” Anti-Defamation League, accessed March 16, 2015, http://archive.adl.org/terrorism/profiles/adam_gadahn/words.html?m_flipmode=2.

October 2004

Al-Qaeda video:
“American streets will run red with blood.”Greg Krikorian and Richard B. Schmitt, “Adam Gadahn videos lead to treason charge,” Los Angeles Times, October 12, 2006, http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-adam-gadahn-the-california-suburban-terrorist-killed-by-us-20150423-story.html.

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Daily Dose

Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.

In Their Own Words:

We reiterate once again that the brigades will directly target US bases across the region in case the US enemy commits a folly and decides to strike our resistance fighters and their camps [in Iraq].

Abu Ali al-Askari, Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH) Security Official Mar. 2023
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