Intelligence officials have been able to pinpoint Anwar al Awlaki for several weeks, and even thought they might have a good chance to kill him on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. As President Obama went from New York City to the Pentagon to Shanksville, Penn., officials “thought they had a good opportunity to hit him,” a source tells ABC News. “We waited, but it never materialized.” A senior administration official also said, “They were waiting for the right opportunity to get him away from any civilians.” Awlaki was “very operational” and actively engaged in plotting attacks while in Yemen, says another senior White House official.
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