Twitter-loving American jihadi faces death threat from Somali militants after fallout

An Alabama native who moved to Somalia to wage jihad alongside al-Shabab militants may soon find himself the one pursued by insurgents.

Omar Hammami — whom the FBI named as one of its most wanted terrorists in November — has engaged in a public fight with al-Shabab over nearly the last year. A Twitter account that terrorism analysts believe is run by Hammami or his associates announced Jan. 4 that al-Shabab fighters had given him 15 days — until Saturday — to surrender.

It’s far from clear whether Hammami will be killed. But analysts who track militants agree that Hammami has become an al-Shabab PR problem.

Bill Roggio, editor of the Long War Journal, says Hammami may have signed his own death warrant with recent anti-al-Shabab rants.