The following are some of this week's reports from the MEMRI Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Project, which translates and analyzes content from sources monitored around the clock – among them the most important jihadi websites and blogs. (To view these reports in full, you must be a paying member of the JTTM; for membership information, send an email to [email protected] with "Membership" in the subject line.)
MEMRI offers an additional option for jihad and terrorism news – the Global Jihad News (GJN) website. Access is by annual subscription, available for $360 at the MEMRI E-Store.
Note to media and government: For a full copy of these reports, send an email with the title of the report in the subject line to [email protected]. Please include your name, title, and organization in your email.
Al-Qaeda Claims Responsibility For December 31 Bombings In Iraq; Senior Jihadi Writer: The Campaign To Liberate Baghdad From Shi'ites Will Soon Commence
In a January 1, 2013 communiqué released by the Al-Yaqin Media Center, the Al-Qaeda-affiliated organization Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) announced that, following a series of operations it carried out in revenge for the assault on the honor of Sunni women in Shi'ite prisons, it has also launched a new wave of attacks on carefully selected targets. The organization boasts that most of the units managed to reach their destinations despite the security measures taken by the Shi'ite government in order to prevent these actions and defend the "polytheist" pilgrims visiting the tombs in Karbala.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Announces Plan To Launch Website Reporting Developments In 'The Jihad Underway In Pakistan Against America And Its Allies'
On January 1, 2012, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced a plan to launch a website that will broadcast and publish content on the day-to-day developments in what it called "the jihad underway in Pakistan against America and its allies in Pakistan." The announcement came in the form of a statement on the Pakistani jihadi forum Jamia Hafsa. Following is the text of the statement, translated from the Urdu version:
"Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan conveys this good news to the Muslim ummah – that we, with the blessing of Allah, are beginning to broadcast organizational statements and jihadi news on the jihad media. We also announce that the Umar Media – the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's central organ for publication and broadcasting – will be the official publisher of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's news and videos through the Global Islamic Media Front..."
Austrian Jihadi Muhammad Mahmoud Prays To Allah To Destroy The Americans, The Germans, And The Lands Of Unbelief
On January 7, 2013, the jihadi media outlet Global Islamic Media Front released a video of an 'Eid Al-Adha sermon delivered by Austrian jihadi Muhammad Mahmoud, aka Abu Osama Al-Gharib. Mahmoud is the leader of the jihadi group Millat Ibrahim, comprising German-speaking Muslims; the video shows him carrying a rifle. The video states that the sermon was filmed in "the land of honor," jihadi code for the Afghanistan-Pakistan arena, and that it was delivered during 'Eid Al-Adha 2012, which was in October 2012. In the video, Mahmoud speaks in both German and Arabic, dedicating his fiery sermon primarily to praising jihad and violence. He uses 'Eid Al-Adha's theme of sacrifice to encourage Muslim youths to take up arms. He concludes his sermon with a prayer for Allah to bring death and destruction to the Americans and the Germans.
New Website Supports Jabhat Al-Nusra
A new Salafi-jihadi website named Al-Nusra has recently been established. A message by its administration, posted January 3, 2013, explains that the website is associated with the Syrian jihad group Jabhat Al-Nusra Li-Ahl Al-Sham, and that its purpose is to "cover the events and developments and the heroic acts of our brothers the mujahideen [in Syria], and to follow the battles they are waging in order to topple the infidel 'Alawite Ba'th regime and all its allies," so that "the blessed land of Syria will once again be the source of justice and grace, and truth will reign supreme everywhere."
Al-Jazeera Website Posts Interview With Jabhat Al-Nusra Commander Abu Anas Al-Sahaba
On January 6, 2013, the Al-Jazeera website (aljazeera.net) posted an interview with Abu Anas Al-Sahaba, the commander of Jabhat Al-Nusra (JN) in the Dera area. The interviewer, Yasser Abu Hilala, states that Abu Anas spoke to him from Syria on his mobile phone. In the interview, Abu Anas denies Al-Jazeera's claim from several weeks ago that he has been appointed leader of JN, saying that he is only in charge of the Dera region. He also stresses that he is very proud of the experience he gained in Iraq.
Jihadis Announce Establishment Of What They Call First Jihadi Internet Radio Station
On January 7, 2013, a jihadi Facebook page called "Jihad Al-Umma" reported on the establishment of what it said was the first jihadi Internet radio station, Radio Fajr Al-Jihad, and asked readers to spread the news on Twitter, Facebook, and forums.
Now On Twitter, Facebook: Jihadi Media Foundation Fursan Al-Balagh
On January 1, 2013, the jihadi media foundation Fursan Al-Balagh, which releases pro-jihadi productions, launched its official Twitter account, to be used, it said, as a "publishing tool" and in order to "strengthen communication and cooperation" with jihad supporters.
Jihadis Claim Twitter Shut Down Account Of Man Behind Disseminating Alleged Deleted Segment Of Recent AQAP Video Offering Reward For Assassination Of U.S. Ambassador To Yemen, Killing Of U.S. Soldiers
On December 5, 2012, online jihadis claimed that Twitter had shut down the account of 'Abdallah bin Muhammad – the man responsible for disseminating the alleged deleted segment from the recent Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) video, which offered a reward for the assassination of U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Gerald M. Feierstein, and the killing of any U.S. soldier in Yemen.
Egypt Foils Attack On Coptic Church
Egyptian authorities reported that they had foiled a plot to attack a Coptic church in Rafah, in northern Sinai. The attack was to take place on January 8, when local Copts celebrate Christmas.
Report: Indonesian Military Website Hacked, Threat Posted On Website – And Also On Al-Qaeda-Affiliated Blog; Hacker Claims He's Indonesia's Most Wanted Terrorist
According to a report in an Indonesian daily, the man who hacked an Indonesian Army website last month and posted on it a threat to police claims to be Indonesia’s most wanted terrorism suspect. A military source said that in his message on the website, the hacker claimed to be Santoso, who also goes by the names Abu Wardah and Abu Yahya.
Arab Movement For The Liberation Of Azawad Takes Captive Three MOJWA Senior Officials, Demands MOJWA Release Algerian Diplomats In Exchange
On January 10, 2013, the London-based Saudi daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported that the Arab Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (AMLA) had detained three senior officials from MOJWA, and were demanding that, in exchange for their release, MOJWA set free Algerian diplomats it is currently holding captive.
