Attorney General Defends Rationale for Killing American Terrorists

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http://www.voanews.com/content/justice_department_says_legal_for_us_to_kill_americans_in_al_qaida_abroad/1597544.html

Attorney General Defends Rationale for Killing American Terrorists
VOA News
February 05, 2013

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has explained the Obama administration's rationale behind legally allowing the government to kill U.S. citizens abroad if it believes they are senior al-Qaida leaders actively engaged in planning operations to kill Americans.

Holder spoke after the leak of a confidential Justice Department memo on the government's use of drone strikes against al-Qaida suspects. Holder said the government only conducts actions in a way that abides by federal and international law.

"Our primary concern is to keep the American people safe, but to do so in a way that is consistent with our laws and consistent with our values," he said. "We have, as a basis for action that we take, a congressional statute that allows us to operate against al-Qaida and associated entities, not only in Pakistan or not only in Afghanistan, but in other parts of the world."

Holder said the targeted suspects must pose an "imminent threat" of violent attack on the United States. He also specified that capturing the suspect must be deemed infeasible.

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1. Suspect that some domestic right-wing extremists who pack assault weapons intend to kill

a passel of Americans if and when they get pist or on a whim, but can't tell which one(s) will act out their anger. Wonder how the government intends to deal with this clear and present danger to all Americans?