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.)
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Following the execution of Jordanian pilot Muadh Al-Kasasbeh by the Islamic State (ISIS(, the Jordanian authorities made major efforts to sway Jordanian public opinion against ISIS. As part of these efforts, Jordan released the imprisoned Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi, one of the most prominent leaders of the Salafi-jihadi stream, who opposes ISIS and has recently sharply criticized it. Al-Maqdisi publicly expressed reservations about ISIS' establishment of a Caliphate, about its ideology, about its war against rival rebel organizations in Syria, and about the brutal methods it uses in executing its enemies, opponents and hostages.
In an interview he gave upon his release to a state television channel, Al-Maqdisi harshly attacked the Islamic State and its leaders for burning the pilot to death, a method that he said was prohibited by Islam, and claimed that they had squandered an opportunity to free Sajida Al-Rishawi from the Jordanian prison.
It should be noted that the release of the pilot was never on the table, at least on ISIS's part. In return for Al-Rishawi, the organization offered to release the Japanese hostage and to spare Al-Kasasbeh's life (but not to free him). Moreover, according to reports by Syrian opposition activists in the city of Al-Raqqa, who oppose ISIS, Al-Kasasbeh was actually executed over a month ago, which, if true, means that ISIS's offers with regards to him were never sincere.
In Video, Boko Haram Displays Wreckage Of Nigerian Airplane It Claims It Downed, Executes Its Pilot
On February 9, 2015, a 11:14- long video on behalf of the media wing of the Nigerian jihad group Jama'at Ahl Al-Sunna lil-Da'wa Wal Jihad (known as Boko Haram) was released on Twitter.
The video shows the wreckage of a Nigerian fighter jet that Boko Haram claims to have downed. It also features a brief message of the pilot of the airplane, who is executed with an axe.
On February 7, 2015, the jihadi forum Al-Fida posted report by the jihad group Al-Murabitoun, which operates in southern Algeria and northern Mali. The 40-page report, dated Ramadan 1435 (July 2014), is titled "The War against France's Agents," and is devoted to the January 16, 2013 attack on the Tiguentourine natural gas plant near 'Ain Amenas in the Algerian Sahara, in which hundreds of people - many of them foreign nationals - were taken captive and dozens were killed, and many of the attackers were killed as well. The report reviews the preparations for the operation and the operation itself, with the aim of showcasing its successes but also learning from some of the mistakes made.
In an article appearing in the seventh issue of the Islamic State's (ISIS) English-language magazine Dabiq, titled "Islam is the Religion of the Sword Not Pacifism," ISIS comes out against Muslims, namely those in contact with the West, who claim that Islam is a religion of peace. ISIS says that such "apologetic" Muslims do so in order to gain the West's support and sympathy, and, according to some, to propagate their false claim that Islam calls for permanent peace with the unbelievers. ISIS refutes those claims by questioning the linguistic roots of the word Islam, which it says is not derived from the word Salam (peace), but instead, from Istislam (submission, i.e. to Allah).The article also presents numerous verses from the Koran as well as prophetic hadiths that highlight Islam's reliance on the sword in fighting its enemies. In that regard, ISIS notes that the sword will continue to be drawn against Islam's enemies until 'Isa (Jesus) kills the Dajjal (the Antichrist), after which, it adds, "Islam and its justice" will prevail on the entire earth. However, the article notes that until that day arrives, the "parties of [the] kafirin [unbelievers] will continue to be struck down by the unsheathed sword of Islam..."
The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On February 12, 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) released the seventh issue of its English-language magazine Dabiq. The 83-page issue celebrates the recent attacks in Paris, justifies the burning of the Jordanian pilot, and calls for Muslims in the West to join ISIS, among other topics discussed. It also includes interviews with Hayat Boumeddiene, the wife of Paris kosher supermarket attacker Amedy Coulibaly, and with Belgian ISIS fighter Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the leader of the Verviers cell that planned major attacks in Belgium.
The foreword of Issue VII of the Islamic State (ISIS) English-language magazine Dabiq focuses on the execution of Japanese captives Haruna Yakuwa and Kenji Goto Jogo, which had prompted calls for revenge by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who promised "to make the terrorists pay the price." It asserts that the Japanese government was responsible for the death of its nationals by taking sides in a quarrel that it should have stayed out of.
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ISIS responded to Abe, as Osama bin Laden and Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi had responded in similar situations, that if Japan had chosen to join an American-led Crusade it was going to pay the price for doing so. The article also shows an awareness of the debate in Japan between those who want Japan to retain the pacifist role it had adopted following World War II and the policy of former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, and now of Prime Minister Abe, who sought a more active military role for the country rather than limiting it to self-defense of Japan proper.
Dabiq VII Features Interview With Runaway Belgian ISIS Fighter Abdelhamid Abaaoud
The seventh issue of ISIS's English-language magazine Dabiq, released on February 12, 2015, features an interview with Belgian ISIS fighter 'Abd Al-Hamid Abaaoud, aka Abu Umar al-Baljiki, the leader of the terrorist cell that was the target of the Belgian authority's January 15, 2015 raid in Verviers. In the interview, he tells how he traveled from Syria to Belgium with the intent of carrying out terrorism there, and how he avoided being caught in the raid and managed to return to Syria despite being wanted by security and intelligence apparatuses. He also discusses his co-conspirators, Belgian ISIS members Khalid Ben Larbi (aka Abu Zubair Al-Baljiki) and Sufian Amghar (aka Abu Khalid Al-Baljiki), who traveled with him to Belgium and were killed in the shootout with the security forces.
ISIS Video Shows Adults, Children In Iraq Watching Public Screenings Of Pilot's Execution Film
On February 7, 2015, the information bureau of the Islamic State in Iraq's Ninawa province released a five-minute clip titled "Muslim Rejoicing over the Jordanian Pilot's Punishment." The clip, which was posted on the Twitter account of ISIS media operative Abu Muhammad Al-Fateh, shows children and adults watching the video of the burning of Jordanian pilot Mu'adh Al-Kasasbeh on giant screens set up in public places. It also shows ISIS members distributing DVDs to the public, apparently of the same film. Also included in the video are street interviews with adults and children who express their opinion on the pilot's sentence. All of them say that the punishment was justified because the pilot came to bomb innocent Muslims, and some even claim that he got off too lightly. Some interviewees emphasize that Jordanians deserve to be slaughtered and killed for their country's participation in the anti-ISIS coalition.
Pro-Islamic State Twitter Account Publishes Picture Of German Fighter Reportedly Killed In Iraq
On February 13, 2015, the pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Twitter account Anis Al-Muwahideen posted a picture of a masked German ISIS fighter named Abu Ya'qub Al-Almani along with the caption "May Allah accept him," indicating that Al-Almani was dead. The Tweet was accompanied by the hashtags #The_Islamic_State, #Salah_Al_Din_Province (in Iraq), and #Support_For_Jihad.
Islamic State Stones Homosexual Man Near Aleppo
On February 10, 2015, the Aleppo province of the Islamic State (ISIS) published images showing the stoning of a man convicted of homosexuality in the town of Manbij northeast of Aleppo. The images did not show the convicted man or his actual stoning, only a large gathering of men at an undisclosed location. An ISIS religious police vehicle is seen at the scene as well. Dozens of spectators, including children, are seen standing on a nearby hill awaiting the execution. The stoning is carried out by over a dozen masked ISIS men, who are seen carrying large rocks in their hands. A stock of additional rocks can be seen next to them.
Female ISIS Members Tweet Photos Of 'Self-Defense Training Camp' For Women
On February 1, 2015, Zahra and Salma Halane, two British teenage twins who left England to join ISIS, shared on their Twitter accounts photos of camps where female ISIS members undergo "self-defense training." In the photos they appear to be training with firearms.
One of the twins, who uses the alias Omm Khaled, tweeted on her account: "Training (self defense) for sisters now available in the Islamic State."
French Islamic State (ISIS) Fighter Carries Out Suicide Attack In Iraq
On February 11, 2015, the pro-Islamic State (ISIS) twitter account of Abu 'Ali Janoubi posted photos of French ISIS fighter Abu Talha Al-Faransi, who carried out a suicide attack against Shi'ite militia barracks near the Speicher airbase near Tikrit, Iraq.
ISIS Fighter Calls For Attacks On Belgium Following Jail Sentence For Sharia4Belgium Members
On February 11, 2015, British Islamic State (ISIS) member Abu Rahin Aziz, 33, from Luton, England, who uses the alias Abu Abdallah Al-Britani, threatened attacks on Belgium on his Twitter account. Aziz posted the threats in reaction to the verdict handed down by a Belgian court to members of Shariah4Belgium, including the group's leader, Fouad Belkacem aka Abu Imran. The radical group Shariah4Belgium aided in the recruitment of numerous Belgian men for jihad in Syria.
Abu Abdallah Al-Britani posted a photo of the soon-to-be imprisoned preacher and added a hashtag appealing for his release. One tweet reads, "#FreeAbulmran A lion for #Tawheed. Received 12 year sentence for something he didn't do."
On February 9, 2015, the Islamic State's (ISIS) Al-Hayat Media released a 12 minute video featuring British prisoner John Cantlie, who reports from Aleppo. Cantlie addresses facets of life under ISIS rule, such as the religious schools and shari'a courts it established. Cantlie also defends ISIS against Western claims, namely that education was suffering under ISIS rule, and that shari'a laws, in particular its penal code, were harsh. Cantlie also notes the bombardment of Aleppo, and accuses the U.S. of collaborating with the Syrian regime in targeting innocent Muslims. Cantlie also interviews a French ISIS fighter living in Aleppo, who urges French Muslims to carry out lone-wolf-style attacks against France. The fighter also expresses satisfaction from the January terror attacks in France.
On February 11, 2015, the pro-Islamic State (ISIS) of Abu Al-Walid Al-Shishani published images of Jordanian pilot Bilal Al-'Ajarmeh, who it says was "wanted by the Islamic Sate [for] slaughtering in return for a huge sum of money."
In continuation of its public screenings of the Jordanian pilot's execution video in areas under its control, the Islamic State in Al-Khayr (Deir Al-Zour) province released today another video showing a public display of the pilot's video, and local Muslims' response to it.
Egyptian Facebook Page Urges 'White Knight Ultras' To Arm Themselves And Come To The Stadium
After dozens of White Knight Ultras - supporters of Egypt's Zamalek football club - were killed yesterday (February 8, 2015) in a stampede and in clashes with the security forces near the Air Defense Stadium in Cairo.
The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
Using his account on Twitter, Usama Mahmood, the spokesman of the Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), has posted a statement condemning that Pakistani army for killing more than 150 militants in what he described as "fake encounters" and arresting many women connected to the jihadis.
A page from Haftroza Al-Qalam
Maulana Masood Azhar, head of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), one of many militant organizations believed to be close to the Pakistani military's Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), has for the first time expressed concern at the Pakistani military's crackdown on militants active on the western border with Afghanistan and the recent hanging of many Islamic militants. It should be noted that after the December 16 terror attack at a military school in Peshawar, the Pakistani army has launched a campaign against some jihadist groups.
