Awlaki Allegedly Tied to British Terror Plot

Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki is said to be the first American on the CIA's capture or kill list. (AP)

New evidence against the nine suspects in an alleged terror plot in Great Britain claims to connect the men to Anwar al-Awlaki, the first American on the CIA's capture or kill list.

In keeping wth Awlaki's online propaganda, the suspects allegedly chose highly symbolic targets including Big Ben and the U.S. embassy compound for their supposed plot.

The nine suspects were swept into a British court on Tuesday under heavy guard.

"They were all arrested under the terrorism act 2000 on the suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism," a Scotland Yard spokesman said.

Investigators who searched the suspects' homes are said to have found two issues of "Inspire" magazine, Al Qaeda in Yemen's version of a lifestyle periodical -- a Martha Stewart Living for Jihadists.

The driving force behind "Inspire" is Awlaki, who's believed to be hiding in Yemen.

"It's almost like a bit of a training manual that's being delivered via the Internet right to the doorstep of whomever in the UK or United States or Canada or wherever in the western world," said William Gaches, a former senior intelligence officer.

Awlaki's group, Al Qaeda in Yemen, has included former Guantanamo detainees Saeed Al Shehri and Mohammed Al Awfi as part of its leadership structure.

This Al Qaeda affiliate has now gone global with the attempted Christmas Day bombing a year ago and the cargo bomb plot disrupted this fall. Both plots targeted the United States.

Awlaki is now connected to at least 15 terror cases dating back to 2001. In the majority of these plots, the suspects allegedly relied on Awlaki's online propaganda for inspiration.