On February 28, 2013, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released issue X of its English-language online magazine, Inspire. The "Open Source Jihad" section of the magazine features a new segment titled "You Ask, We Answer" in which an Al-Qaeda "consultant" answers queries pertaining to lone-wolf attacks.
Following are segments from the open source jihad "consultancy" section:[1]
Question: "I Want To Assassinate The U.S. President, The French President, The British PM, Or Their Ministers."
Answer: "...It is easy, if you ask Allah and be true to Him. These people have many weak points, especially during ceremonies, parties, and election campaigns. Bare in mind, they come to and leave from these parties. Therefore, there must be some means of transport, which is a chance for surveillance or even action.
"If you think you are unable, then you have easy targets like [G.W.] Bush, Bill Clinton, Colin Powell, or Condoleezza Rice. Of course, you can also kill Sarkozy and Tony Blair. It is now easy to reach these guys, especially [now] that they aren't in office anymore."
Inspire continues by providing "tips" to those seeking to assassinate VIPs. For example, it recommends that the martial arts fighting style ninjutsu be used "for lower profile figure assassination." It also calls upon Muslim men to better utilize their time and undergo the necessary physical preparations to become the soldiers the Muslim ummah needs.
Question: "I Want To Carry Out A Big Jihad Operation To Support The Religion. Guide Me."
In its answer, Inspire congratulates the inquirer on his great determination, and reiterates that jihad is a form of 'ibadah (worship), like any other type of worship. It also emphasizes the importance of preoccupying the enemy by conducting such operations in his own "backyard," and thereby "driving him crazy". Therefore, it says: "These small operations of today are the stepping stone of tomorrow's victory... Rely on Allah, and answer His call: Jihad."
Inspire Calls On Experienced Doctors To "Create A Lethal Poison... [And] Manufacture Anthrax"; Asks Journalists To Act As AQAP's Eyes In The Field By Spying On The Enemy
Answering one query from an "experienced doctor" who asks for advice on how he can wage jihad, Inspire writes: "Create a lethal poison (gaseous), manufacture anthrax, and give the mujahideen medical advice in their blogs – or you can contact us directly."
Answering a similar query from "an active journalist," Inspire says that journalism is a "useful profession to the mujahideen," as journalists' wide knowledge of current affairs, along with their "access to many areas as a media personnel," can provide AQAP with valuable intelligence about the enemy, adding that journalists themselves can exploit their positions to execute attacks themselves.
Endotes:
[1] The original English has been lightly edited for clarity.
