ahmed farouq not as well-known nick paton walsh.mebody said to be the deputy emir of a new al qaeda offshoot al qaeda indian subcontinent adam gadahn nick very well-known to those who follow national security stories. >> let's deal initially with farouq gadahn a well-known al qaeda member prevalent in a lot of propaganda american citizen, million dollar award out for information leading to his capture. a high-profile figure. we can accept if the u.s. was aware they were going after him in a strike that's to some degree explanatory apart from targeting an american citizen. ahmed farouq yes, as you say, al qaeda in the indian subcontinent not a particularly well-known offshoot not behind as far as ascertained operations that made headlines that much. said to be engaged in setting up islamic caliphate in india, bangladesh, that region and subservient. very little known about them. of course there will be a lot of scrutiny about ahmed farouq's level of seniority, what level of transparency there is about why he was chosen to be hidden i

jenna: why is ahmed farouq an important figure?> they was the deputy emir of al-qaeda of the indian subcontinent, a spin-off of the al-qaeda network. he was seep as one of the more up and coming leaders within the al-qaeda network and interestingly, his name came up in the abbottabad raid documents. his name came out. jenna: it's interesting that you mentioned the raid, because we were actually looking through some of the letters that were just released recently in court. and in some of these letters written to bin laden the drone strikes were mentioned by al-qaeda operatives. and here's what they had to say about it. apparently, the drone strikes were effective from their point of view saying we don't have any effective solutions to the espionage issue. here's what else they had to say: our current view of the situation, we need to reduce operations and activities, focus on preserving and survival while we will be focusing on defensive security, counterespy knack, striking the spy plane bases using special operations and using pat

that is the ahmed farouq the american citizen al qaeda leader. this was a strike against an al qaeda compound. and the result was the death of at least one al qaeda leader. i can tell you that the assess assessment that we have right now does not raise questions about additional civilian loss of life. again, the reason for that is that the standard that was in place and to the best of our knowledge, was closely followed by our counterterrorism professionals was to adhere to this near certainty standard. and that near certainty standard applied to two things. the first near certainty that this was an al qaeda compound that was used by al qaeda leaders that turned out to be true. that assessment did turn out to be correct. the other near certainty assessment would be that no civilians would be harmed if this operation was carried out. unfortunately, that was not correct. and the operation led to this tragic unintended consequence. >> and there's very little at this point that we know about the gadahn operation. who was the target of that operation

the one that resulted in the death of ahmed farouq. that is that there were hundreds of hours of surveillance against that particular al qaeda compound. this surveillance included near continuous surveillance many thein the days leading up to the operation. that led to the near certain assessment that it was an al qaeda compound frequented by an al qaeda leader and did not include or that civilians would not be included in the operation. only the latter assessment was incorrect. >> you know these strikes took place in january. you said the u.s. recently confirmed what happened and that these individuals had died. can you tell us when exactly was that? are we talking days weeks, months ago? how long did you wait after coming to conclusions before informing the families of the hostages? >> josh, this is a good question. let me explain how this process works. when a counter terrorism operation is carried out, it is followed by a battle damage assessment. our intelligence professionals evaluate the region or the area where the operation wa

they didn't know that adam gadahn or ahmed farouq were also there.f sketchy intelligence on some of these operations as they move forward. the fact that it's taken this long to kind of figure out the actual death of these people and to announce it is interesting. but the back story here is senior defense officials telling us that the president did not order this strike. that quote, it is a part of normal policy he did not approve this strike. according to senior defense officials. we'll try to get more on what that means. martha: did that seem like an unusual pronouncement given this? the commander in chief would be in charge of all of these operations, and the president took responsible for it the minute that he walked out there. he said these operations happened under my direction, essentially, bret. >> yeah. i mean, it's interesting that we're hearing this from the pentagon and from what the president said. obviously it all falls to him in the end. he has a policy as we know of trying to pluck off these al-qaeda leaders along the afghan/pakistan b

the first ahmed farouq believed to be an al-qaida leader at that point. and another who was much more well known to counterterrorism forces adam gahdahn, named spokespeople for the terror network and the u.s. forces had long been trying to capture or kill. live on capitol hill tonight, scott thuman abc 7 news. maureen: tha tonight, members of warren weinstein's family tell abc 7 they are too heart broken to speak publicly. in a statement, weinstein's widow elaine says the family hoped the u.s. government could secure weinstein's release. she continued "those who took warren captive bear ultimate responsibility. he would still be alive and well if she would have allowed him to return home after his time abroad working to help the people of pakistan." for the first time prosecutors in the case of accused serial killer charles severance are reviewing his possible motive. severance is charged with killing nancy dunning, ron dishy and ruthanne lodato in a series of shootings dating back a decade. in court the prosecution said severance was angry over a custody

amy: can you explain also who the american linked to al qaeda, ahmed farouq and another american adam gadahn were killed another strike? >> these are two americans that were said to have gone and joined forces with al qaeda. adam gadahn is somebody who is a spokesperson for that organization. according to the government, neither of these americans was targeted. again, it was only after the strikes of the government determined those americans were actually there. so once again, i think it provides reason to question how much information the drone operators have before they are carrying out these strikes. amy: jameel jaffer -- >> one other thing that is remarkable about yesterday's disclosures, the very fact of the disclosures. normally, the government doesn't disclose information on individual drone strikes, at least, not on the record like this. this is a very unusual thing where the government is actually disclosing information about who was killed and a little bit of information about the operation. what the vast majority of drone strikes, we don't get that level of transparency. we

john:two of the targets in this week's drone strikes, adam gadahn and ahmed farouq, held u.s. citizenship. does it trouble you that the president can order u.s. citiizens killed by drone attacks? i ask you, tom. tom: no. because the reality is that these people have chosen to join a group that plots to kill as many civil yaverpbs as it can, that has been doing that. the reality is that the signature profiling in terms of strikes, it's more than seeing people and thinking that they look like nate iveks to the particular area. it's about networks, the areas they've been visiting. the nature of the threat is you have to address these people. good example google a pakistani man killed in a drone strike but it later turned out they knew he was involved in the 2006 translate -- atlantic plot. if he had been killed he would have killed thousands of people. john: is there a political incentive for the president to take full responsibility? clarence: of course. at the same time, this question about shooting or killing a u.s. citizen, we wouldn't have this argument if we actually had a

adam gadan and ahmed farouq. gadahn that converted to islam was one of the better known americans tied to al qaeda after he appeared in a number of videos. the two americans were not the targets. in fact despite over 100 hours of surveillance, some of it around the clock, all u.s. intelligence was able to say for sure was it bombed a suspected al qaeda compound. that's a huge rights advocates and drone strikes critics is a big problem. >> it appears that the united states quite literally in the two killings -- in the two operations announced today quite literally did not know who it was killing. >> the president said he declassified details of the secret mission because americans have the right to know when a mistake takes the lives of u.s. citizens. >> i've directed a full review to identify the lessons learned from the tragedy and any changes that should be made. >> the white house says the tragic accident won't stop efforts to tarlt target and kill suspected terrorists, and for now the secret drone program wil

hostages were kept nearby as shields for the senior leader, who turned out to be an american named ahmed farouq, who once hatched a plot to hijack pakistani vessels and ram them into american warships. five days later another drone strike killed another american again without the c.i.a. knowing it. this time it was adam gadahn who played a leading role in alng qaeda recruiting propaganda videos. gadahn had been indicted for treason and had a $1 million reward on his head. neither gadahn or farouq were considered senior enough to be on the c.i.a.'s hit list, but when asked if the president regretted killing them, white house spokesman josh earnest had a very simple answer.es >> no, those two individuals you mentioned were leaders in al qaeda. >> reporter: the c.i.a.'s inspector general has been ordered to investigate what went wrong, and members of the senate intelligence committee say they will conduct an investigation of their own. scott? >> pelley: david martin at the pentagon for us tonight. david, thank you. we're told it took four months to make today's announcement because of the difficul

. >> the white house also revealed that ahmed farouq, an american al-qaeda leader died in the same operation. california native died during a separate january operation. the deaths is the first known incidence in which the u.s. accidentally killed hostages during a drone strike. fox news. >>> a bill that would protect residents who let their lawns go brown. the bill would prohibit penalties. california's rules limiting water use and restrict watering. now the bill would go further. >>> nba playoffs. the warriors about 90 minutes away from taking the court against the pelicans. up 2 games to none but tonight the game is in new orleans. >> mark ibanez for what we should be looking for. >> it will be interest. this is the first time the warriors played on the road. only lost twice in oakland. we will see how they do away from home. they are up 2-0. game three privatal in deciding a series -- pyruvatal in deciding a series -- pivotal in deciding a series. and seeing how it baskets and rims work out down there. the warriors have the best home record, and they do like the us against had world feel

>> let's talk about ahmed farouq. he appeared in videos audios and books preaching jihad.unity to rise up to their government. most his audios focused on the ideology part. essentially he was an idealog. he was announced as deputy leader of the branch in the indian subcontinent. he played an integral part in al qaeda's media machine. most of his audios and videos were directed to incite jihad in pakistan. adam has been with al qaeda well over a decade. he headed the main media machine. in 2004 adam specifically said american streets will run with blood, be revenge taken against the united states for actions against afterghanistan and iraq. he was a top leader from southern california who pretty much headed the media machine. he's been is successful recruiting a bunch of individuals. >> according to the president, they were not targeting these two men. they did not know they were there. >> no. according to the white house press secretary, they were not. they tarthsgeted the compound but were not sure who was there. they denied having knowledge of the two hostages weinstein

killed the american hostage warren weinstein in january also killed al qaeda militant awe maybe -- ahmed farouqalso killed adam gadahn who was born and raised here in southern california. >> do we even know, trace how expansive this more than drone campaign is? >> reporter: we know that president obama embraced and expanded the controversial program when he took office in 2009 before he game -- became president there had been less than 50 drone strikes in pakistan skins -- since 2009, 337. yemen had only seen a few strikes prior to 2009 but 110 since then. the strikes are believed to have killed thousands of suspected terroris and been roundly credit seed is by national security officials from both democratic and republican administrations who say however well intentioned drone victories are they create a troubling precedent because other less well-meaning countries could start their own targeted strikes adopting the u.s. argument they are simply fighting terrorism. >> trace gallagher in los angeles, thank you. >>> the senate finally confirmed loretta lynch for attorney general after months upo

scott: further in the attack and a separate one, two other americans, ahmed farouq who had become an al-qaida leader and adam gahdan, chief spokesman for the group were also killed. regarding their deaths one u.s. senator said today they got what they deserved. as for the families of dr. weinstein and lo porto, the white house says they will be compensated for their losses. although they won't say just yet how much that may be. on capitol hill, scott thuman, abc 7 news. alison: ok, scott. warren weinstein's family has not spoken publicly today about the news but they did issue a statement. montgomery county reporter kevin lewis picks up our team coverage live in rockville where the weinsteins have lived for decades. kevin? kevin: hi there. there's been no sign of the family today. but neighbors and friends have been driving by the house all day long. some have left flowers at the base of this large maple tree in the front yard. the tree adorned with yellow ribbons has been a symbol of hope ever since warren weinstein was kidnapped nearly four years ago. >> it's painful every day. kev

adam gadahn an american citizen, and ahmed farouq both al qaeda operatives killed in concert with the killing of these american hostages. i guess farouq was a dual u.s./pakistani citizen. it seems like some part of the white house is how they talk about these strikes and the killing of these two men in particular given our constitution. >> right. and alex i think, you know, we don't think there's any difference in the law that governs when you can take the life of a person extra judicially based on citizenship. certainly though the courts limited access to non-citizens here in the united states, which is something we don't agree with but nevertheless remains the case. and i think here again, there are massive failures of both transparency and accountability. in that the government is claiming that it can take the lives of people citizens and non-citizens without any kind of judicial review and with virtually no transparency with respect to the number identity and those killed. the consequences of these programs, i think there's ample and growing evidence of the backlash against the un

. >> ifill: it also emerged that ahmed farouq, a u.s., pakistani citizen and al-qaeda leader, died in the same raid that killed the hostages. another american, adam gadahn died in a separate drone strike. he had served as a spokesman for the terror network. gadahn was on the f.b.i.'s most wanted terrorists list. he was the first american to be charged with treason since world war two. >> ifill: we'll return to the announcement of the hostage deaths, and its implications after the news summary. >> woodruff: the u.s. senate confirmed loretta lynch as attorney general today, 56 to 43, after more than a five-month wait. her nomination had stalled over an abortion dispute in a sex trafficking bill. republicans also criticized her support for president obama's immigration orders limiting deportations. democrats, including chuck schumer of new york, said she deserved better. >> she's just great. but, one sad note. there's one cloud on this sunny day and that is the long time it took to confirm her. we've heard about a whole lot of issues completely unrelated to her experience or her qualific

the second american ahmed farouq, led the religious advocacy. though the two joined al qaeda, i were still -- they were still american citizens. neither terrorist was specifically targeted here nor did u.s. intel knew that they would be there on the scene. the administration says that the operation, though, was fully consistent with u.s. guidelines. we begin our special hour of coverage with nbc's chief pentagon correspondent, jim miklaszewski. a lot of questions. what's the latest that you can tell us? >> reporter: absolutely. you know, and as the president said today they launched these air strikes against these compounds after hundreds of hours of observation. in other words they could see the comings and goings and determine that this -- these compounds were indeed al qaeda headquarters for small groups of al qaeda. but what they didn't talk about, was there any kind of electronics intercepts, telephone calls that would indicate that leadership was there or that the hostages were there? and what about human intelligence? that's always a key

ahmed farouq and adam gadahn were killed. in 2011 he was killed seen as a pro pro pro potential successor of osama bin laden. this latest news leads to the question to kill u.s. targets. we look at what improvements and changes can be made. we're asking you, given this in the latest incident from the january counter terrorism strikes, when it comes to drone, is the loss of innocent lives worth military gains? keep voting at pulse.msnbc.com. we'll have results later in the hour. >> thanks francis. we'll talk later. >>> straight ahead, how bruce jenner's decision could impact the community. we'll look at that. >>> and this is a brawl. a nasty scene in chicago as a benches clear and fists fly between the white sox and royals. >>> and we're keeping an eye on the southeast involving kansas oklahoma texas, louisiana. forecasters say the conditions are ideal for twisters throughout the day. there's concern for heavy rain that could lead to flooding. in fact, america is now the world's number one natural gas producer... and we could

senior al qaeda leader ahmed faroug farouq also killed. adam pearlman from california also killed in a similar strike. any celebrating was short lived. intercepts were picking up that hostages hat died. >> as a husband, and as a father, i cannot begin to imagine the anguish that the weinstein and lo porto families are enduring today. >> reporter: 15 miles from the white house a makeshift memorial is taking shape at the weinstein home in rockville, maryland. the u.s. government now plans to compensate the weinstein family and the lo porto family in italy. this is the very first time that any hostages were reported killed in a u.s. drone strike but the cia and here on capitol hill now there will be a fresh look at the u.s. use of drones. live in capitol hill steve handelsman, nbc 10 news. >>> and ahead in our next half hour, a closer look at the american hostage killed. we sent nbc 10's tim furlong to montgomery county, maryland where hostage warren weinstein was from. a live report ahead at 5:30. >>> we have new information about the philad