"US bogeyman a mystery to the Yemenis he lives among" from South China Morning Post

"Even his group, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, is scoffed at by many as an invention, a ploy by Washington and Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to advance larger agendas."

"Despite these legal manoeuvres, his website and eloquent missives, Awlaqi, known for public relations savvy and quoting from the Koran and Charles Dickens, drew barely a hint of recognition from shopkeepers, waiters and computer engineers along Sanaa's streets and alleys."