Former Iman who Praised 9/11 Hijackers Labels Hasan as a 'Hero'

In a blog post that was created earlier on Monday, former Iman at Virginia's Dar al-Hijrah mosque, Anwar al-Awlaki, labeled Fort Hood gunman and former Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan as a hero. According to The New York Daily News, Awlaki entitled his blog post, "Nidal Hasan did the right thing" and it was first reported by terror expert Evan Kohlmann of the NEFA Foundation.

Awlaki has stirred up tremendous amounts of controversy in the past for his praising and alleged befriending of 9/11 hijackers and he is sure to put himself back into the media spotlight as a result of his latest blog post. The New York Daily News is reporting that Awlaki is a former American citizen who moved to Yemen after the tragic September 11, 2001 attacks and he is known to have affiliations to terror organizations Al Qaeda and Hamas.

In his blog post, Awlaki praised the Fort Hood gunman for his actions on Thursday, writing, "Nidal Hasan is a hero. He is a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people." The Fort Hood gunman reportedly attended services at Virginia's Dar al-Hijrah when Awlaki was serving as its Iman eight years ago and his mother's funeral services were held at the mosque during that year.