Radical preacher calls for US jihad

A radical Sunni Muslim preacher wanted dead or alive by the United States and Yemen urged Muslim scholars yesterday to promote jihad against US and Israeli interests in the region.

Anwar al-Awlaki, who was born in the US, also accused the Shia Muslim power in Iran of trying to extend its influence among Arabs in the Gulf region, in a 23-minute video recording posted on Islamist websites.

The video appears to have been made before a foiled plot involving explosive packages sent from Yemen on planes bound for the United States.