Obasanjo ought to be in Jail – APGA National Chairman

The National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh yesterday enjoined President Goodluck Jonathan to ignore the antics of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in playing to the gallery in his letter to him.

Speaking to journalists in Awka, Chief Umeh advised Chief Obasanjo not to misinterpret the Presidents humility as weakness, contending that he ought to be in jail for sundry crimes against humanity, citing the Odi and Zakibiam massacres as examples.

Chief Umeh said Nigerians should hold Chief Obasanjo responsible for the present woes of the country as he bungle very bright opportunity of re-positioning and launching the country on course for sustainable greatness.
He recalled that instead of uniting the country on assumption of office in 1999, the former President carried on a war of hate against Ndigbo and continued to undermine their growth and welfare.

Chief Umeh regretted that Chief Obasanjo continued to promote ethnic and religion differences, that resulted in wholesale violence and loss of lives that qualified him to be tried for crime against humanity.
He noted that under the former President, corruption and impunity became a way of life in the country when privileged few where given monopoly on economic powers.

Chief Umeh said Chief Obasanjo’s letter was a confirmation of the heavy blow his administration dealt on democracy when election rigging and manipulations were used to muscle out opposition parties and recalled that APGA suffered the same terrible fate in 2003 when its victory was given to PDP and it took three years of legal battle to reclaim the mandate.

He made clear that Chief Obasanjo had no positive reference point or legacy for the people of Nigeria and should therefore not to be taken seriously.

The APGA Chairman noted in particular billions of dollars squandered by the Obasanjo regime on the power sector without any result as well as the huge resources wasted in pursuit of a third term bid.

He presented Jonathan to continue his dedicated and commendable service of building enduring democratic institutions that allow the leaders to elect leaders of their choice without interference with INEC or the peoples vote.

Real Reason Behind The stand-off between President Goodluck Jonathan ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo,

The stand-off between President Goodluck Jonathan and his estranged benefactor,ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo,was sowed about two years ago, before blowing into the open on Wednesday, The Nation can now reveal.

Their differences revolve around seven issues, according to well-placed sources in Abuja.

Although the duo, against all expectations, shared breakfast in Nairobi, Kenya, on Thursday, it was gathered that President Jonathan may henceforth keep Obasanjo at bay on account of the ex-president’s “toxic” letter.

Presidency sources said the anger generated by the letter is yet to subside.

Their differences stemmed from:

•Rejection of some ministerial nominees and chief executives of departments and agencies from the South-West from Obasanjo;

•Alleged refusal of Jonathan to consult Obasanjo on key policies and decisions of the government;

•Disagreement over the leadership of PDP at national level and in the South-West, especially the sack of Obasanjo’s loyalists like ex-Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, ex-Governor Segun Oni and Bode Mustapha;

•The rise of G-7 and ultimate defection;

•Obasanjo’s allegation of Jonathan’s administration of lack of direction, especially on anti-graft war;

•Use of international fora to write off the administration of Jonathan; and

•Second term aspiration of Jonathan.

Investigation by our correspondent revealed that Jonathan and Obasanjo had been patching their relationship over the last two years.

Some months ago, Jonathan was said to have confronted Obasanjo and accused the ex-president of undermining him.

Jonathan, sources said, accused Obasanjo of supporting the PDP G-7 governors.

It was learnt that Obasanjo denied the allegation and assured Jonathan of support.

The source added: “Obasanjo’s disagreement with Jonathan started from the ministerial nomination. The ex-President sought input into nominations from the South-West, but Jonathan restricted him to Ogun State. He said Obasanjo could not singlehanded nominate ministers from the South-West when there is a PDP structure in place.

“The ex-President was also not happy that the Jonathan administration does not consult him on all policy issues, decisions of the government and strategic appointments. The ex-President felt the President had been hijacked by those he did not want in government,”the source said.

One of those who allegedly “offended Obasanjo” in the past was the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim.

His appointment was said to have been made without consultation with Obasanjo.

When the matter was brought to Anyim’s attention, he personally went to meet Obasanjo to plead forgiveness for whatever offence he might have committed.

Obasanjo reportedly told Anyim there was no quarrel.

The emergence of Bamanga Tukur as the National Chairman of PDP and the attendant crisis in the party appeared to have deepened the crack in the relationship between the two leaders, while the alleged hijack of the South-West PDP structure from Obasanjo pained the ex-President.

“But with anti-second term campaign for Jonathan, it was strategically important for the PDP to restrict Obasanjo to his only vote at the PDP National Convention for presidential primaries than to allow him control the party structure and wreak havoc,” one source said.

The Presidency was also said to have received intelligence reports on Obasanjo’s remarks at several international gatherings including some in the USA in which he allegedly made uncomplimentary remarks about the administration.

Police issue product warning on Caribbean manufactured juice as Navy Veteran Dies After Consuming Cocaine-Laced Pear Drink

DEVOTED: Royal Navy veteran Jorome Lewis

A VINCENTIAN-BORN Royal Navy veteran has died after consuming a Caribbean manufactured pear drink which had a lethal dose of cocaine.

Jorome Lewis, 33, passed away at Southampton General Hospital just hours after drinking a bottle of Pear-D.

Lewis' widow, Jayrusha Lewis, described her husband as a 'selfless and devoted family man'.

She said: “Jorome Lewis was a devoted family-oriented man with a selfless attitude to help others, and always knew the right words and advice to give.

“His exemplary conduct and actions touched the lives and hearts of many. He was a member of the Bridgemary Family Church.”

Hampshire police are investigating the possibility that the drink was used to smuggle cocaine into the UK in a liquid form.

A spokeswoman said: “It appears from police inquiries that Mr Lewis ingested a small amount of liquid in the belief he was drinking a genuine pear drink.”

A post-mortem examination was carried out on Saturday (Dec 7). The results are inconclusive and toxicology tests are being carried out.

LETHAL: Jorome Lewis died after consuming a Caribbean Manufactured pear drink which had a lethal dose of cocaine

The Food Standards Agency have rendered the product unsafe for consumption, warning that the “presence of cocaine renders the product a very serious health risk.”

The product packaging lists the manufacturer's name as S.M. Jaleel & Co Ltd, Otaheite, Trinidad.

But the company insists the Cole Cold Pear-D product was not exported to the UK and that the label was last produced in September 2013 for the local Caribbean market.

Detective Superintendent Richard Pearson, who is leading the police investigation called Operation Crab, said they are working with partner agencies to investigate the incident and to minimise any risk to the public.

He said: “Inquiries to date have not identified any further incidents or similar bottles.

“The investigation suggests that this was likely to be a rogue bottle from a consignment of drugs stored in plastic juice bottles”

He added: “If anyone finds a bottle of Pear-D juice, do not open the bottle. If sealed, the bottle is perfectly safe. Take the bottle to the nearest police station, and we will examine the contents if appropriate.”

Anyone who finds they have a bottle of Pear-D should take it to their local police station and are advised to contact the Food Standards Agency on 020 7276 8448.

Northern Group accuses Al-Mustapha & Gowon of campaigning for Jonathan

The group said the proposal was a display of government’s lapses and failure to address the numerous challenges confronting the nation.

 National President of the group, Comrade Aliyu Ladan, alleged that the proposal was designed to divert the attention of Nigerians from the real issues affecting the nation.

He called on President Goodluck Jonathan to focus on the problems of insecurity, corruption and poverty in the land instead of spending time and money on a conference that may not achieve much.

“It is a known fact to everybody that, this issue of national conference has been introduced by President Jonathan simply because he wants to divert the attention of Nigerians from the actual things on ground,” Ladan said.

“He knows that Nigerians do not like his policies, and consider him a total failure. So instead of him to just admit his mistakes, he wants to introduce something that can never address our problems.”

Ladan also berated the former chief Security Officer to the late Gen. Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-mustapha for allowing himself to be used by Jonathan through the purported unity tour of the country.

“His tour can neither unite the nation nor compel people to vote for the president come 2015,” he said.

Obasanjos Letter** My group would have taken over *Abacha and MKO were killed – By Al Mustafa

WHY IS OBSANJO AND GROUP TERRIFIED OF AL MUSTAPHA ?

Mr. Obasanjo did not mention the name of the murderer he accused the President of protecting but he seems to be referring to Hamza Al-Mustapha, a former security aide to late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, who is facing trial for allegedly masterminding the killing of Kudirat Abiola, the wife of Moshood Abiola, the winner of the annulled 1993 presidential election.

Mr. Al-Mustapha was freed by the appeal court in July but the Lagos state government has since appealed the judgment at the Supreme Court.

Mr. Obasanjo also accused Mr. Jonathan of placing over 1000 Nigerians on political watch list and “training snipers and other armed personnel secretly and clandestinely acquiring weapons to match for political purposes like Abacha and training them where Abacha trained his killers”.

He wondered why the Presidency was providing assistance for a murderer to evade justice..Former military governor of Kaduna State, retired Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar..

- See more at: http://eagleyereportconnect.blogspot.com/2013/12/ex-president-olusegun-obasanjo-writes.html#sthash.vPbcDqBF.dpuf

By Al Mustafa

AL-MUSTAPHA’S PRISON NOTES

**I would Have Gunned Down Abdulsalami
**Abacha and MKO’s death were organized
**I noticed how Abacha countenance changed when President Yasser Arafat security operatives shook hands with him

“My Boss, General Sani Muhammad Abacha, died at the early hours of Monday, 8th June, 1998. I had prepared him for a workshop organized by the Federal Ministry of Information for that day as he was expected to deliver an address as the Special Guest of Honour. His speech was drafted and fine tuned by the Chief Press Secretary, Chief David Attah who had submitted it to the Aide-De Camp for vetting and necessary amendments by the Commander-in-Chief. When I got to the bedside of the Head of State, he was already gasping. Ordinarily, I could not just touch him. It was not allowed in our job. But under the situation on ground, I knelt close to him and shouted, “General Sani Abacha, Sir, please grant me permission to touch and carry you.”
Al Mustapha after the verdict

Al Mustapha after the verdict

“Contrary to insinuations, speculations and sad rumours initiated by some sections of the society, I maintain that the sudden collapse of the health system of the late Head of State started previous day (Sunday, 7th June, 1998) right from the Abuja International Airport immediately after one of the white security operatives or personnel who accompanied President Yasser Arafat of Palestine shook hands with him (General Abacha) I had noticed the change in the countenance of the late Commander-in-Chief and informed the Aide-de-Camp, Lt. Col. Abdallah, accordingly. He, however, advised that we keep a close watch on the Head of State. Later in the evening of 8th June, 1998, around 6p.m; his doctor came around, administered an injection to stabilize him. He was advised to have a short rest. Happily, enough, by 9p.m; the Head of State was bouncing and receiving visitors until much later when General Jeremiah Timbut Useni, the then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, came calling. He was fond of the Head of State. They were very good friends. They stayed and chatted together till about 3.35a.m. A friend of the house was with me in my office and as he was bidding me farewell, he came back to inform me that the FCT Minister, General Useni was out of the Head of State’s Guest House within the Villa.”

“I then decided to inform the ADC and other security boys that I would be on my way home to prepare for the early morning event at the International Conference Centre. At about 5a.m; the security guards ran to my quarters to inform me that the Head of State was very unstable. At first, I thought it was a coup attempt. Immediately, I prepared myself fully for any eventuality. As an intelligence officer and the Chief Security Officer to the Head of State for that matter, I devised a means of diverting the attention of the security boys from my escape route by asking my wife to continue chatting with them at the door – she was in the house while the boys were outside. From there, I got to the Guest House of the Head of State before them. When I got to the bedside of the Head of State, he was already gasping. Ordinarily, I could not just touch him. It was not allowed in our job. But under the situation on ground, I knelt close to him and shouted, “General Sani Abacha, Sir, please grant me permission to touch and carry you.” I again knocked at the stool beside the bed and shouted in the same manner, yet he did not respond. I then realized there was a serious danger. I immediately called the Head of State’s personal physician, Dr. Wali, who arrived the place under eight minutes from his house. He immediately gave Oga – General Abacha – two doses of injection, one at the heart and another close to his neck.”

“This did not work apparently as the Head of State had turned very cold. He then told me that the Head of State was dead and nothing could be done after all. I there and then asked the personal physician to remain with the dead body while I dashed home to be fully prepared for the problems that might arise from the incident. As soon as I informed my wife, she collapsed and burst into tears. I secured my house and then ran back. At that point, the Aide-de-Camp had been contacted by me and we decided that great caution must be taken in handling the grave situation. Again, I must reiterate that the issue of my Boss dying on top of women was a great lie just as the insinuation that General Sani Abacha ate and died of poisoned apples was equally a wicked lie. My question is: did Chief M.K.O Abiola die of poisoned apples or did he die on top of women? As I had stated at the Oputa Panel, their deaths were organized. Pure and simple! It was at this point that I used our special communication gadgets to diplomatically invite the Service Chiefs, Military Governors and some few elements purportedly to a meeting with the Head of State by 9a.m. at the Council Chamber. That completed, I also decided to talk to some former leaders of the nation to inform them that General Sani Abacha would like to meet them by 9a.m. Situation became charged however, when one of the Service Chiefs, Lieutenant General Ishaya Rizi Bamaiyi, who pretended to be with us, suggested he be made the new Head of State after we had quietly informed him of the death of General Sani Abacha. He even suggested we should allow him access to Chief Abiola. We smelt a rat and other heads of security agencies, on hearing this, advised I move Chief Abiola to a safer destination.”

“I managed to do this in spite of the fact that I had been terribly overwhelmed with the crisis at hand. But then, when some junior officers over-heard the suggestion of one of the Service Chiefs earlier mentioned, it was suggested to me that we should finish all the members of the Provisional Ruling Council and give the general public an excuse that there was a meeting of the PRC during which a shoot-out occurred between some members of the Provisional Ruling Council and the Body Guards to the Head of State When I sensed that we would be contending with far more delicate issues than the one on ground, I talked to Generals Buba Marwa and Ibrahim Sabo who both promptly advised us – the junior officers – against any bloodshed. They advised we contact General Ibrahim Babangida (former Military President) who equally advised against any bloodshed but that we should support the most senior officer in the Provisional Ruling Council (PRC) to be the new Head of State. Since the words of our elders are words of wisdom, we agreed to support General Jeremiah Useni. Along the line, General Bamaiyi lampooned me saying, “Can’t you put two and two together to be four? Has it not occurred to you that General Useni who was the last man with the Head of State might have poisoned him, knowing full well that he was the most senior officer in the PRC?”

“Naturally, I became furious with General Useni since General Abacha’s family had earlier on complained severally about the closeness of the two Generals; at that, a decision was taken to storm General Useni’s house with almost a battalion of soldiers to effect his arrest. Again, some heads of security units and agencies, including my wife, advised against the move. The next most senior person and officer in government was General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who was then the Chief of Defence Staff. We rejected the other Service Chief, who, we believed, was too ambitious and destructive. We settled for General Abubakar and about six of us called him inside a room in the Head of State’s residence to break the news of the death of General Abacha to him. As a General with vast experience, Abdulsalami Abubakar, humbly requested to see and pray for the soul of General Abacha which we allowed. Do we consider this a mistake? Because right there, he – Abubakar – went and sat on the seat of the late Head of State. Again, I was very furious. Like I said at the Oputa Panel, if caution was not applied, I would have gunned him down. The revolution the boys were yearning for would have started right there. The assumption that we could not have succeeded in the revolution was a blatant lie. We were in full control of the State House and the Brigade of Guards. We had loyal troops in Keffi and in some other areas surrounding the seat of government – Abuja. But I allowed peace to reign because we believed it would create further crises in the country.”

“We followed the advice of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and the wise counsel of some loyal senior officers and jointly agreed that General Abdulsalami Abubakar be installed Head of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces immediately after the burial of General Sani Abacha in Kano. It is an irony of history that the same Service Chief who wanted to be Head of State through bloodshed, later instigated the new members of the Provisional Ruling Council against us and branded us killers, termites and all sorts of hopeless names. They planned, arranged our arrest, intimidation and subsequent jungle trial in 1998 and 1999. These, of course, led to our terrible condition in several prisons and places of confinement.”

NIGERIANS REACT TO OBASANJO'S LETTER TO JONATHAN

A former military governor of Kaduna State, retired Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar

 Mr. Obasanjo is spearheading a secret agenda tied to his personal political interests. Mr. Umar, one of the former military officers to have opposed the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, stated that it was dangerous for Nigerians to uncritically take Mr. Obasanjo at his word.
He added that Nigerians should realize from the former president’s antecedents that he is a deceitful and insincere man who was complicit in creating the mess Nigeria is in today. “What is it that [Mr. Jonathan] did not do with impunity?” asked the former military governor.
“It was the same man that attempted third term and was confronted headlong. He is the [same] man that destroyed our nation. [He] wanted [former Governor Peter] Odili before it failed due to some challenges with EFCC. He later imposed a sick man as a leader and we are where we are today,” added Mr. Umar.
He further described Mr. Obasanjo as “the same man that gloried and celebrated corruption in Nigeria,” adding that the former president “ensured that corruption got its solid foundation, and today he is the moral voice of Nigeria. It is dangerous and scary. Our citizens should be critical.”
Mr. Umar contended that Mr. Obasanjo did not believe in the principles he wrote about in a leaked letter that descended on Mr. Jonathan with harsh words.
“Do not be carried away by his noise about democracy and justice, it is all a ruse. He did [govern Nigeria] and we saw how he was tyrannical, a dictator. It is laughable and dangerous that Obasanjo is the man we want to take seriously. I am begging our people to be critical and thorough so as to unravel his real agenda.”
In the interview, Mr. Umar cautioned Nigerians to recognize that, “There is more to it than what we can see. There are certain things we don't know. [Obasanjo] said that he gave Generals Babangida, Abdulsalami and Danjuma copies of his letter.
Why did he not give [a copy to] General Gowon? It means something is in the offing. And it is scary today that Nigerians are taking Obasanjo seriously. It is important that we look at the message and the messenger critically.”

**********************************************************************************************************************************

President Goodluck Jonathan and former president, 

Both men were among other African leaders that graced the 50th Independence Anniversary celebration of Kenya on Thursday, December 12.

Obasanjo’s visit was said to have taken everybody by surprise as it contradicts the expected nature of the relationship between both men, owing to recent public criticisms of the President by Obasanjo.

The unexpected meeting held prior to the anniversary event which was held at the Safaricom Stadium in Kasarani, Nairobi with former president, Obasanjo paying a surprise visit to President Jonathan at the Intercontinental Hotel, Nairobi where they had a private breakfast together.

Obasanjo, who had the breakfast with President Jonathan had written a strongly worded letter, which went public earlier this week, accusing him of performing below par and taking actions calculated at destroying the country.

Meanwhile, in his speech, at the event, President Jonathan called on all Kenyans to unite. According to him, there was no alternative to unity if Kenyans must move their nation forward. In building their nation, Jonathan told Kenyans that they must make unity their focal point.

He said that the destiny of Kenya lies with its people and as such, the people must strive hard to take their country to a greater height. President Jonathan said that he was happy that former Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga was present at the event and working with President Uhuru Kenyatta.

“Nobody can love you more than Kenyans, so you all have to jointly develop your country. All Kenyans should come together to form an inclusive society.

“Since 2007, many African countries like Kenya have been celebrating 50 years of independence and freedom, our founding fathers talked of political freedom to be followed by economic freedom.

“The present generation of African leaders must work hard on science and technology as well as industrialisation, so that there could be economic development and freedom” Jonathan stated.

Obasanjo was said to have sat quietly during the event and was making calls on his mobile phone at intervals while the event lasted

.

     WHO IS FOOLING WHO ?           

US dentist indicted in wife's murder two years after she was found dead beneath broken third-floor window

• Roger Desilets faces manslaughter and assault charges
• Couple had two fights on the night Kathleen Desilets was in fatal fall
• 
  

A Princeton dentist was indicted by a grand jury on Friday in the death of his wife whose body was found beneath a broken third-floor window. 

Roger Desilets faces manslaughter and assault charges over the death of Kathleen, 65, who died in December 2011. 

The jury heard that the dentist had dried blood marks on his face allegedly from where his wife had fought him.

Indictment: Roger Desilets is facing manslaughter charges over the death of his wife, Kathleen

Desilets, 69, told police he and his wife had been fighting since she discovered months earlier that he had been having affair, 7 News reported. 

On the night of her death, the couple had fought twice, including one argument when she found out the dentist had been tracking her calls to see if she was also having an affair, according to testimony.

Defence attorney Edward Ryan Jr claimed that when Mrs Desilets found the phone records 'she came downstairs and physically attacked him and gouged his face and broke his glasses'.

The couple, who had been married for 44 years, are said to have then made up but a second row began when Desilets made a sexually demeaning comment, the affidavit claimed.

After a second argument, Mrs Desilets is said to have gone to a separate bedroom, where her husband walked in to find her breaking the window with a chair. 

'He then stated his wife went through the window, possibly intentionally or due to her momentum caused by the action of breaking the window,' a search warrant seen by the Sentinel and Enterprise said.

Fall: Kathleen Desilets was found underneath a broken third-floor window in December 2011

Mrs Desilets was found outside the couple's large home at about 3am on December 6, 2011. She was naked and had been covered with blankets. 

When police arrived she was still alive but unable to move or speak, and had difficulty breathing.

She died from ‘blunt trauma of the torso with laceration of heart and fractures of ribs and spine’ according to the state medical examiner’s office.

Mr Ryan described the grand jury indictment as a tragedy. 

He told the Telegram: 'We are very disappointed that Dr Desilets has been indicted in this matter. Dr Desilets had absolutely no role in his wife's tragic death and this indictment represents yet another tragedy in this very sad episode.'

Desilets is due to be arraigned on January 2.

FBI Sting Nabs Terror Suspect in Kansas

FBI Sting Nabs Terror Suspect in Kansas: ABCNEWS.COM - Terry Loewen allegedly plotted to explode a car bomb at Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita.

A Kansas man who prosecutors say sympathized with violent terrorists was arrested Friday as part of an FBI sting after he drove a vehicle loaded with what he thought were explosives to a Wichita airport.

Investigators allege that Terry Lee Loewen planned to attack Wichita's Mid-Continent Regional airport in a plot aimed at supporting al-Qaida.

Loewen, a 58-year-old avionics technician who worked at the airport for Hawker Beechcraft, was arrested before dawn as he tried to drive onto the tarmac. The materials in the car were inert, and no one at the airport was in any immediate danger, authorities said.

Loewen, who lives in Wichita, had been under investigation for about six months after making online statements about wanting to commit "violent jihad" against the United States, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said. An undercover FBI agent befriended Loewen, striking up conversations about terrorism and Loewen's admiration for those who plotted against American interests.

Authorities said Loewen spent months studying the layout of the airport, its flight patterns and other details to maximize fatalities and damage in an attack. During that time, he developed a plan with other conspirators to use his employee access card to pull off the attack. The conspirators were actually undercover FBI agents.

Loewen planned to die in the explosion, a fate that he said was inevitable in his quest to become a martyr in a jihad against America, according to court documents.

"Since early summer, he was resolved to take an act of violent jihad against U.S.," Grissom said.

Authorities said they believe Loewen acted alone. No other arrests were expected.

Loewen made an initial court appearance Friday afternoon, answering "yes" in a strong voice to procedural questions. A U.S. magistrate ordered that he remain jailed at least until a hearing next Friday after prosecutors said he was a flight risk and a danger to the community.

His wife and attorney declined comment after the hearing.

His brother-in-law, David Reddig, described Loewen as a "good guy." He said Loewen helped him pay off the debt on his truck and took care of his home and chickens after an eye injury kept him from working.

"He is a hard worker and all that stuff," Reddig said.

But he said Loewen kept details of his life away from his relatives.

The case appears to be similar to a string of investigations conducted by the FBI since the Sept. 11, 2001, attack. The FBI sting operations have prompted controversy over whether the law enforcement tactics involved entrapment of suspects and intruded on civil liberties. One involved an undercover agent who pretended to be a terrorist, provided a teenager with a phony car bomb, then watched him plant it in downtown Chicago.

But the FBI has argued that the stings are a vital law tool for averting potentially deadly terrorist attacks. And juries have returned tough sentences.

In Loewen's case, court documents allege that he talked about downloading documents about jihad, martyrdom and an al-Qaida "manual" during his online conversations.

Investigators said he also frequently expressed admiration for Anwar Al-Awlaki, the American-born al-Qaida leader who was killed in a 2011 drone strike in Yemen. Al-Awlaki emerged as an influential preacher among militants living in the West, with his English language Internet sermons calling for jihad, or holy war, against the U.S.