WASHINGTON – The Obama administration has authorized operations to capture or kill an American-born Muslim cleric based in Yemen for his alleged role in al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.

The decision to add Anwar al-Awlaki to the U.S. target list followed a National Security Council review because of his status as a U.S. citizen.

"Awlaki is a proven threat," a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said of the decision. "He's being targeted."