role in the plot to blow up flight 253 on christmas day. she believed to have met the bombing suspect in yemen in the months leading up to the attack. our justice correspondent bob orr has been investigating this story from the start. he joins us from washington this evening. bob. reporter: jeff, intelligence source now tell us that u.s.-born cleric anwar al-awlaki is emerging as a key player in that christmas day attack. as one official puts it, the radical imam is right in the middle of this. u.s. officials say anwar al-awlaki has operated around the fringes of al qaeda for nearly a decade. he counseled three of the 9/11 hijackers and early this year, he traded a series of internet messages with aaccused fort hood gunman major nay. the imam has always denied terroritize, holding himself out as a spiritual counselor to muslims. there s always this association between islam and terrorism. when that is not true at all. i mean, islam is a religion of peace. reporter: but