Donald Trump features in al-Shabaab terrorist recruitment video

The video features Donald Trump's call for a 'complete shutdown of all Muslims' entering the US

Donald Trump as featured in al-Shabaab video (al-Shabaab video/ al-Kataib Media Foundation)

Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, has been featured in a new recruitment video released by Somalia-based terror group al-Shabaab.

In the 52 minute-long film, distributed on Twitter on Friday by al-Kataib Media Foundation, Mr Trump is shown announcing his call for a “complete shutdown of all Muslims entering the United States” at a rally in South Carolina, while a crowd cheers in the background.

The presidential hopeful’s appearance - around 11 minutes into the video - is preceeded by a speech from the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic extremist Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in drone strike in 2011.

Clip of Anwar al-Awlaki speaking in al-Shabaab video al-Shabaab (al-Shabaab video/ al-Kataib Media Foundation)

Awlaki says: “Muslims of the West […] There are ominous clouds gathering in your horizon.

“Yesterday, America was a land of slavery, segregation, lynching and Ku Klux Klan. And tomorrow, it will be a land of religious discrimination and concentration camps.

“The West will eventually turn against its Muslim citizens […] You have two choices, either hejira or jihad, leave or you fight.”

Awlaki calls on Muslims to “follow the example of Nidal [Malik] Hassan” – a member of the US army who killed 13 people and injured more than 30 in a shooting spree at the Fort Hood military base in 2009.

Mr Trump’s comments have been heavily criticised by political figures around the world, including members of both the US's Republican and Democratic parties, and his remarks have been dubbed by some as being an "jihadist recruitment tool".

Hillary Clinton labelled the business magnate Isis’ “best recruiter”, while speaking at the Democrat candidates’ third TV debate.

She also claimed Mr Trump had appeared in Isis videos saying: “They [Isis] are going to people showing videos of Donald Trump insulting Islam and Muslims in order to recruit more radical jihadists.”

While there is no evidence to prove Ms Clinton’s claims, counter-terror and human rights experts have previously warned Mr Trump’s Muslim bashing was aiding the terrorist cause.

Ibrahim Hooper, National Communication Director of The Council on American-Islamic Relations said: "We firmly believe that Donald Trump is doing the work of Isis."

Al-Shabaab is a jihadist terrorist group based in East Africa, with links to the militant Islamist organisation al-Qaeda.

The group is known for carrying out attacks around the Horn of Africa. In April, al-Shabaab killed 148 people in an attack on Garissa University College and a bus was attacked near Mandera last December by militants from the group.