Official: Awlaki got 'due process in war'

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Anwar al-Awlaki, the U.S.-born Islamic cleric killed in Yemen by a U.S. drone Friday, got "due process in war," an Obama administration official said.

Officials told The Washington Post a Justice Department memo authorized the attack. They said the action was discussed beforehand by senior lawyers in the executive branch who agreed his status as a citizen should not protect him.

"What constitutes due process in this case is a due process in war," said one of the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss closely held deliberations within the administration.

Samir Khan, a young naturalized U.S. citizen who edited Inspire, a magazine aimed at young Muslim men, was traveling with Awlaki and was killed with him.

Intelligence officers were not aware of his presence, but an official said he was considered a legitimate target as a belligerent.

In a statement on the killing Friday, President Barack Obama called Awlaki the head of "external operations" for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.