The US government on Friday blacklisted a US citizen suspected of being a top al-Qaeda leader in Yemen, dpa reported.
The move by the Treasury Department bans Anwar al-Aulaqi from travelling to the United States, freezes his assets and prohibits Americans from doing business with him.
The Treasury Department said al-Aulaqi has played a key role in developing al-Qaeda's strategy in the Arabian Peninsula, and accused him of backing the unsuccessful attempt to blow up an airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day.