USAID funded college education of Al-Qaeda terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki, documents reveal

Al-Awlaki, an American-born jihadist, was killed in a 2011 drone strike authorized by the Obama administration. However, before his death, he played a crucial role in radicalizing terrorists, including the hijackers responsible for the 9/11 attacks and the Fort Hood shooter, Nidal Hasan.

These startling findings come amid an ongoing investigation led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an initiative introduced by the Trump administration to identify and eliminate waste, fraud, and corruption within federal agencies. Archival records, now circulating on social media, reveal that al-Awlaki managed to fraudulently claim to be a Yemeni national in order to secure an exchange visa and full financial support from USAID during his time at Colorado State University. The documents explicitly confirm that USAID provided full funding for his tuition.

At the time, despite his growing radicalization and connections to Al-Qaeda, the U.S. government did not officially classify al-Awlaki as a terrorist threat. He had met 9/11 hijackers Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi while preaching in San Diego and later moved to Yemen, where he became one of the top recruiters for Al-Qaeda. Al-Awlaki was linked to several significant terror plots, including the failed Christmas Day bombing attempt in 2009 and the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, which resulted in the deaths of 13 Americans.

This revelation about USAID funding al-Awlaki’s education adds to the mounting controversy surrounding the agency. Under the Trump administration, there have been calls to dismantle USAID due to claims of fraud and mismanagement, including funding dubious projects such as an Iraqi version of Sesame Street.

DOGE’s ongoing investigation has caused significant backlash from government employees, some of whom have labeled the probe as a “mafia-like takeover.” While a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s move to place 2,200 USAID employees on leave, the administration remains committed to eliminating wasteful government spending.

“We have to solve the efficiency problem. We have to solve the fraud, waste, and abuse,” President Trump stated in a recent interview with Fox News. “You take a look at USAID, the kind of fraud in there.”