King claims al-Qaida is targeting US muslims

AL-QAIDA is targeting Muslim Americans for recruits to terrorism and the community must do more to combat Islamic radicalisation, a lawmaker said as he opened hearings that have been criticised as a witch hunt.

Peter King, the chairman of the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee who called the hearings, has accused the Muslim community of refusing to cooperate with law enforcement and charged that preaching in some US mosques was leading to radicalisation.

“To combat this threat, moderate leadership must emerge from the Muslim community,” King said. “Today, we must be fully aware that homegrown radicalisation is part of al-Qaida’s strategy to continue attacking the United States.”