American-born al-Qaeda leader al-Awlaki spent thousands on prostitutes in US

Slain radical American-born Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki spent thousands of dollars on prostitutes while he traveled the United States preaching fundamentalist Islam.

On the eve of an infamous presentation Awlaki gave at the Pentagon in 2002, he was busy preparing with a prostitute he paid 400 dollars for at a Washington hotel.

According to the New York Post, it was one of more than a half-dozen liaisons Awlaki had with prostitutes between late 2001 and early 2002, while he was under FBI surveillance.

The documents obtained by Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, shed new light on the double life Awlaki was leading, while he was living in the Washington area and working as an imam at a mosque in Virginia.

In the years before he became publicly associated with al Qaeda, Awlaki was investigated by different government agencies for his predilection for prostitutes.

However, there is no indication that an ychargse were brought against Awlaki, leading Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton to question why the cleric seemed to have a 'protected status,' the report added.