The Justice Department, in its motion, invoked the state secrets privilege in opposing the lawsuit and included statements from CIA Director Leon Panetta and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.
Mr. Clapper said in his statement that while some information on al Qaeda and Mr. al-Awlaki has been made public, the suit would involve secrets that must not be disclosed.
According to Mr. Clapper, Mr. al-Awlaki "pledged an oath of loyalty to AQAP emir Nasir al-Washishi and "is playing a key role in setting the strategic direction" for the group.
"Al-Awlaki has also recruited individuals to join AQAP, facilitated training at camps in Yemen in support of acts of terrorism, and helped focus AQAP's attention on planning attacks on U.S. interests," he said.
Since late 2009, Mr. al-Awlaki "has taken on an increasingly operational role in AQAP, including preparing" Mr. Abdulmutallab for the airline bombing attempt, he said.
The statement noted Mr. al-Awlaki's May 23 interview in an al Qaeda video in which he stated, "My message to the Muslims in general, and to those in the Arabian Peninsula in particular, is that we should participate in this jihad against America."
About the Christmas Day plot, Mr. al-Awlaki said that "no one should even ask us about targeting a bunch of Americans who would have been killed in an airplane. Our unsettled account with America includes, at the very least, 1 million women and children. I'm not even talking about the men. Our unsettled account with America, in women and children alone, has exceeded 1 million. Those who would have been killed in the plane are a drop in the ocean."
Mr. Clapper's statement did not link Mr. al-Awlaki to Army Maj. Nidal M. Hasan, who is accused of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a shooting at Fort Hood, Texas.
However, the statement noted that Mr. al-Awlaki praised the shooting and the attempted airline bombing in his interview in May.
Other U.S. officials have said the FBI had obtained e-mails between Maj. Hasan and Mr. al-Awlaki before the shooting but did not take action against the Army psychiatric counselor.
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