The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees American citizens due process of law, which guarantees defendants the right to fundamental fairness and the expectation of fair trials, fair hearings, and similar procedural safeguards, and the Fourteenth Amendment affirms that no state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law (Siegel 160). In the article “Can the CIA include an American-born Al-Qaeda figure on its kill list?” » The American Civil Liberties Union and the Central Intelligence Agency are debating whether the United States can target one of its citizens with armed drones without following constitutionally guaranteed due process. According to the Washington Times, President Barack Obama placed Anwar al-Awlaki on the kill list and approved his targeted killing in April 2010 because U.S. officials recognized that Anwar al-Awlaki posed a danger to domestic security. of the United States (Lucas 1). In addition to President Barack Obama's decision, the National Security Council also approved the targeted killing of Awlaki (Shane 1). However, U.S. officials considered Anwar al-Awlaki a threat to U.S. internal security because he was known as a suspected terrorist involved in numerous incidents such as the 9/11 attacks, the Fort Hood shootings, the The potential bombing in 2001. Time Square and the failed underwear bombing (Lucas1). Ultimately, the targeted killing of the Awlaki is salient and significant because it calls into question the legality of killing an American-born American citizen without following legal procedure, even if that citizen is a suspected terrorist. However, I believe that the decision to target Anwar al-Awlak... middle of paper ... gives American citizens the right to due process of law. However, Anwar al Awlaki deserved this targeted killing because he abused his American citizenship. Therefore, the United States government cannot stand by and allow itself to be exploited. Works Cited Gentile, Sal. “The ACLU criticizes the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, a US citizen, calling it a dangerous precedent. » The daily need. WNET.org, September 30, 2011. Web. Kingsbury, Alex. “Can the CIA include a US-born al-Qaeda figure on its kill list?” » US News and World Report, September 7, 2010. Web.Krell. “Government policy that we can kill an American citizen without trial. » Round Tree 7. September 30, 2011. Web.Lucas, Ryan. “Al-Qaeda confirms killing of US-born cleric al-Awlaki.” The Washington Times. The Washington Times, LLC, October 10, 2011. Web. Siegel, Larry. Introduction to criminal justice. Canada. Wadsworth, 2010. Print.