When still alive, Anwar al-Awlaki was a man known for his extremist anti-Western views and his links to Al Qaeda. So it came as some surprise that the self-proclaimed ‘Jihadi’ had been set to marry a blonde 32-year-old Croatian woman prior to his death last year.
The Yemen-based fanatic was killed by American missiles in September 2011 but over a year later is has emerged that CIA agents had a helping hand in finding their wanted man.
Like many modern couples, the two met online when the lady in question - ‘Amina’ - commented on Awlaki’s Facebook page. The pair then separately made videos for each other and when the American born fanatic decided that his future wife’s views were extreme enough, they arranged a meeting.
But all was not as it seemed: ‘Amina’ was less interested in love and more concerned with aiding the Danish intelligence services. It turned out that a double agent was the mastermind behind the meeting and was looking to trap the man accused of recruiting for Al Qaeda.
Being a bit of a ladies-man, Awlaki made the perfect victim for the honey trap plan. The late Imam had previously been arrested for soliciting prostitutes in the US and already had two Arab wives to his name before approaching the Croatian blonde.
With the plan in full swing, ‘Amina’ flew to the Yemeni capital with a tracking device attached to her suitcase. However, she was asked to leave the case in Sana’a before traveling on to meet her future husband. Without the tracker, the mission fell through and it was left to the CIA to pick up the pieces later.
Now the Danish agent behind the plan, 36-year-old Martin Storm, is indignant that the American secret service has left him off their Christmas card list. According to him, the honey trap plan played a key role in finding and killing Awlaki, but so far he has received no thanks for his efforts.
However, the situation is more complex than a simple thank-you note as Danish intelligence services would be implicated in the killing, a move considered illegal in the European country. Storm has tried taping his calls to the CIA, using the honey trap videos and making his emails with American agent, ‘Michael’, public, but so far to no avail.
Do you think the Danish agent should get some credit? Or is there more harm than good that would come of it? Tell us what you think below.
