U.S. congressman calls for YouTube to remove videos featuring militant
Baku, October 25 (AZERTAC). A New York congressman sent a letter to the chief executive of YouTube Sunday, asking that the company remove all videos featuring Anwar al-Awlaki -- a man the congressman called the "bin Laden of the internet."
Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-New York, made the request one day after the online appearance of a new al-Awlaki video. The Yemeni-American cleric and militant has been linked to al Qaeda terrorists in Yemen, where he is believed to be in hiding.
Weiner said that hundreds of al-Awlaki videos are available on YouTube, with a combined total of more than 3.5 million views.
"A known terrorist named Anwar al-Awlaki, dubbed the `bin Laden of the Internet,` has been using YouTube to promote his extremist ideology and recruit a new generation of terrorists. I am asking that you remove all videos featuring Anwar al-Awlaki from your website and set up safeguards to prevent future videos of from being posted," Weiner wrote to Chad Hurley, YouTube`s chief executive.
An official at YouTube was not immediately available to comment Sunday.
U.S. officials say al-Awlaki helped recruit Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, the Nigerian man charged with trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines trans-Atlantic flight as it landed in Detroit, Michigan, on Christmas Day.
Al-Awlaki is also said to have exchanged e-mails with accused Fort Hood shooter, Maj. Nidal Hasan.
U.S. officials have confirmed that he is on a CIA and military hit list to be captured or killed.
"I understand that YouTube is a clearing house for ideas and that your company aims to not infringe on free speech, but al-Awlaki`s message, promoted via YouTube, has caused violence and is a threat to American security," Weiner wrote. "I request that you remove this man and his hateful rhetoric from your website, as he poses a clear and present danger to American citizens."
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