Memo sets rationale to kill Al Qaeda-linked Americans

WASHINGTON (AP) - An internal Justice Department memo says it is legal for the government to kill US citizens abroad if it believes they are senior Al-Qaeda leaders continually engaged in operations aimed at killing Americans.

The document, reported on Monday by NBC News, provides a legal rationale behind the Obama administration's use of drone strikes against Al-Qaeda suspects.

The 16-page document says it is lawful to target Al-Qaeda linked US citizens if they pose an "imminent" threat of violent attack against Americans, and that delaying action against such people would create an unacceptably high risk. Such circumstances may necessitate expanding the concept of imminent threat, the memo says.

"The threat posed by Al-Qaeda and its associated forces demands a broader concept of imminence in judging when a person continually planning terror attacks presents an imminent threat," the document added.