The status of an American-born terrorist who crooned about wanting to be obliterated by a Predator drone is in a gray area somewhere between “dead” and “alive.”
Born in Alabama, Omar Hammami became a commander with Al-Shabaab, an Islamic group in Somalia that recently became part of al-Qaida. In his side career, Hammami released watered-down rap songs promoting Jihad, including “Send me a Cruise,” about how he wanted to be on the business end of a “paradise missile.”
But he may have met his end at the hands of his fellow terrorists. Rumors have circulated recently that creative differences with his label led to Al-Shabaab terminating Hammami’s recording career with extreme prejudice.
On Thursday, The Associated Press reported that Al-Shabaab had released a statement saying that Hammami was still alive, but it appears the wire service wasn’t quite accurate.
The Long War Journal, a respected blog on Islamic terrorism, pointed out that the statement was actually an opinion piece on a pro-Shabaab Somali website, not an official communiqué from the terrorist group, which has been silent on rumors of Hammami’s death.
Still, the fact that Al-Shabaab’s boosters say Hammami is still alive indicates that the terrorist may still be with us and ultimately realize his dream of being annihilated by a Hellfire fired by the Air Force’s remote control war fighters.
