The Obama administration is publicly debating whether or not to kill a U.S. citizen who is a member of al-Qaida and is actively planning attacks abroad in the first case of its kind, according to Slate.
The Associated Press reported on Monday the government was hesitant in their decision because the suspect resides in a country which refuses U.S. military action on its soil. Neither the name of the country nor the suspect was released, Slate reported.
According to the AP, a U.S. official said the Defense Department was divided over whether the man is dangerous enough to merit the potential domestic fallout of killing an American without charging him with a crime or trying him, and the potential international fallout of such an operation in a country that has been resistant to U.S. action.
During a speech in May of 2013, President Obama issued new guidelines which allow a U.S. citizen to be killed overseas if he poses an imminent and continuing threat to the United States, according to Slate. Obama also said the guidelines should be taken into consideration only as a last resort and should face special scrutiny by the Justice Department.
The U.S. official also said the Justice Department is "working to build a case for the president to review and decide the man's fate," according to Slate.
Drone attacks on terrorist are generally approved by the public, but a drone strike on an American citizen may be viewed differently by the public without charging the suspect of a crime first, Slate reported.
The 52 percent of Americans who oppose drone strikes in general may feel differently if the suspect is proven to be "actively planning attacks," according to Slate.
A similar case occurred in 2009 with Anwar al-Awlaki who was a born in New Mexico and was affiliated with al-Qaida and was killed in Yemen by a drone strike, Slate reported. Officials say the same process used in deciding whether to carry out the attack on al-Awlaki will be used in the current case in question.
