Yemen's al-Qaida branch leader threatens Trump, Musk and others
[June 09, 2025]
By JON GAMBRELL
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The leader of al-Qaida's Yemen branch
has threatened both U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon
Musk over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip in his first video
message since taking over the group last year.
The half-hour video message by Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki, which spread
online early Saturday via supporters of al-Qaida in the Arabian
Peninsula, also included calls for lone-wolf militants to assassinate
leaders in Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf Arab states over the war, which
has decimated Gaza.
The video of al-Awlaki's speech showed images of Trump and Musk, as well
as U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. It also included images of logos of
Musk's businesses, including the electric carmaker Tesla.
“There are no red lines after what happened and is happening to our
people in Gaza," al-Awlaki said. "Reciprocity is legitimate.”
Yemen's al-Qaida branch long thought to be most dangerous
Though believed to be weakened in recent years due to infighting and
suspected U.S. drone strikes killing its leaders, the group known by the
acronym AQAP had been considered the most dangerous branch of al-Qaida
still operating after the 2011 killing by U.S. Navy SEALs of founder
Osama bin Laden, who masterminded the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
In 2022, a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan killed bin Laden's
successor, Ayman al-Zawahri, who also helped plot 9/11. The Sept. 11
attacks then began decades of war by the U.S. in Afghanistan and Iraq,
and fomented the rise of the Islamic State group.
Al-Awlaki already has a $6 million U.S. bounty on his head, as
Washington says al-Awlaki “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.
Israel-Hamas war a focus of the Houthis as well
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 U.S. Navy has
described their campaign against the Houthis as the most intense combat
it has faced since World War II.
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This wanted poster from the U.S. State Departments' Rewards for
Justice program shows al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula leader Saad
bin Atef al-Awlaki. (Rewards For Justice, U.S. Department of State,
via AP)
The Trump administration also launched its own intense campaign of
strikes on the Houthis, which only ended before the president's
recent trip to the Middle East.
The Houthis' international profile rose as the group remains mired
in Yemen's long-stalemated war. Al-Awlaki may be betting on the same
for his group, which U.N. experts have estimated has between 3,000
and 4,000 active fighters and passive members. The group raises
money by robbing banks and money exchange shops, as well as
smuggling weapons, counterfeiting currencies and ransom operations,
according to the U.N.
The Shiite Zaydi Houthis have previously denied working with AQAP, a
Sunni extremist group. However, AQAP targeting of the Houthis has
dropped in recent years, while the militants keep attacking
Saudi-led coalition forces who have battled the Houthis.
“As the Houthis gain popularity as leaders of the ‘Arab and Muslim
world’s resistance’ against Israel, al-Awlaki seeks to challenge
their dominance by presenting himself as equally concerned about the
situation in Gaza,” said Mohammed al-Basha, a Yemen expert of the
Basha Report risk advisory firm.
“For a national security and foreign policy community increasingly
disengaged from Yemen, this video is a clear reminder: Yemen still
matters.”
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