In a shocking 34-minute propaganda video called “Inciting the Believers,” the new leader of Al-Qaeda, Sa’ad bin Atef al-Awlaki, has issued a call to assassinate key American leaders, including President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and billionaire business magnate Elon Musk. The call for assassination, released by AQAP’s media arm, is a disturbing heightening of anti-American rhetoric by the group amid the ongoing Israel-Gaza crisis.
“Do not ask anyone to kill infidel Americans,” al-Awlaki stated in the video, contradictorily circulated far and wide across jihadist Telegram channels. He called upon Muslim citizens in the United States to “take revenge” against America for supporting Israel, naming prominent political and business figures specifically targeted.
Alongside Trump and Vance, the AQAP chief also nominated Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. This called for his followers to attack these individuals and their families, “Go after them and their families and all those who have any ties or are close to the politicians of the White House.”
The video also encouraged antisemitic violence and glorified previous attempts to kill Trump. “Go after the scum of the earth and its greatest criminals,” al-Awlaki declared. “These are Trump and his vice president, his advisor, and his supporters in terms of finance, administration, and technology.”
No Red Lines After Gaza, Warns AQAP Leader
Al-Awlaki cautioned that there are “no red lines” after what he termed as atrocities in Gaza. “Do not leave a single safe location for Jews, just as they have not left any homes, shelters, or refuge for the Palestinians,” he advised. “Even hospitals are being bombed over the heads of the sick and wounded, and the heads of the women, children, and elderly. Take revenge.”
The US State Department has already put a $6 million reward on the head of al-Awlaki, who took over the reins of AQAP in March 2024. The US government still designates AQAP as a foreign terrorist organization.