Civil liberties groups sue over U.S. effort to kill U.S. citizens suspected of terrorism

August 30, 2010 by legitgov

Civil liberties groups sue over U.S. effort to kill U.S. citizens suspected of terrorism --'The United States cannot simply execute people, including its own citizens, anywhere in the world based on its own say-so.' 30 Aug 2010 The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a federal lawsuit Monday challenging the U.S. government's authority to target and kill U.S. citizens outside of war zones when they are suspected of involvement in terrorism. The civil liberties groups brought suit in U.S. District Court in Washington after being retained by the father of Anwar al-Aulaqi, a U.S.-born cleric who is in hiding in Yemen. The CIA placed Aulaqi on its list of suspected terrorists it is authorized to kill earlier this year; the cleric had previously been on a separate list of individuals targeted by the Joint Special Operations Command.