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 jttmsubs@memri.org with "Membership" in the subject line.)
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EXCLUSIVE: American ISIS Supporter Tweets U.S. Military Manuals, Tips
Islamic State (ISIS) supporter "Ultra Nationalist" uploads numerous official U.S. Army, Navy, and Marines manuals to his Twitter account, and shares videos on military matters such as weapons techniques. A prolific tweeter, he regularly issues threats against the West. Ultra Nationalist may possibly be fighting alongside ISIS in Syria. The following is a review of his recent Twitter activity.
Background
Based on his language and cultural references, and his knowledge of various aspects of the U.S. military, Ultra Nationalist appears to be American, possibly with a military background. It is noteworthy that he uses a photo of Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan as his profile picture.
His posts reveal that he is a convert to Islam, and that he considered migrating to Chechnya. but ultimately decided on Syria. On April 22, 2015, he posted a link to a jihadi video called "Mujahideen in Chechnya," and wrote, "[This is] the land I first wanted to make hijra [immigrate] to right before I accpeted Islam. InshAllah one day we will, in Wilayah Shishan [in the province of Chechnya]."
EXCLUSIVE: Top Female ISIS Recruiter Revealed To Be American From Seattle
On April 28, 2015, it was revealed that a prominent and high-profile pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Twitter account belonged to an American woman named Rawdah Abdisalaam. This discovery was made by a reporter at Channel 4 news based in Seattle, Washington. Abdisalaam, under the Twitter handle UmmWaqqas, had previously mentioned online that she was Dutch. Listed in ISIS e-books as a key contact for women, she was proven to be in contact with women who had gone to Syria. The following is a review of her Twitter activity.
Contact With Prominent Pro-ISIS Figures
Abdisalaam's tweets reveal that she had conversations with revered American jihadi cleric Ahmad Jibril, and with Mehdi Biswas, aka Shami Witness, who was the leading English-language Islamic State (ISIS) promoter and news aggregator on Twitter until his arrest in December 2014.
On January 31, 2014, Ahmad Jibril tweeted to Abdisalaam: "May ALLAH bless your life & give you the desires of your heart and grant you happiness and success in this dunya [worldly life]& in the akhira" [afterlife].
On April 24, 2015, a Salafi group calling itself "Supporters of the Caliphate in the Philippine[s]", based in the south of the country, posted a video titled "Message to Obama and Philippine President Benigno Aquino," in which it pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS). It also threatened the U.S. for fighting ISIS and threatened the Philippine authorities for supporting this campaign. The following are details.
Dr. Mohammed Malkawi, a.k.a. "Abu Talha," said, during a speech delivered at the International Muslim Khilafah Conference, held at Wembley Arena in London in August 1994, that "slam is a "supreme system" that "will not coexist in the same place as democracy." "Islam is a system that Allah revealed to dominate all other religions," he said.
Click here to view this clip on MEMRI TV
Australian ISIS Supporters Call To Target Australian Cartoonists Larry Pickering, Bill Leak
ISIS supporters online have lately called to target Australian cartoonists Larry Pickering and Bill Leak who drew cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
An Australia-based ISIS supporter calling himself "Australi Witness" called to target Pickering, as well as and The Australian, the newspaper which had published his cartoon. Writing on his Twitter account on April 27, 2015, he tagged other jihad supporters, urging them to "Spread info about these cartoonists [sic] to lone wolves in Australia please."
ISIS Leader Al-Baghdadi Orders Mobilization From Syria To Iraq's Anbar And Salah Al-Din Provinces
On April 27, 2015, the Islamic State's (ISIS) bureau of preaching and mosques in its Aleppo Province issued a circular to regional commanders and soldiers with an order from ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi to mobilize forces from Syria to the Iraqi provinces of Anbar and Salah Al-Din in order to assist ISIS forces there in their fight against the Iraqi army and the Shi'ite militias.
The head of the preaching and mosques office announced that registration for the force headed to Iraq will be held in his office in Manbij.
French And Belgian ISIS Fighters Carry Out Suicide Attacks On Iraq-Jordan Border Crossing
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On April 25, 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) reported that three foreign fighters from Belgium, France, and Senegal carried out three suicide attacks that day on the border crossing between Iraq and Jordan. The attacks, which targeted "Safavid" (i.e. Iraqi) army headquarters in the Turaibil border crossing, killed 40 people, ISIS noted in its statement. ISIS identified the attackers as Abu 'Abdallah Al-Baljiki (Belgium), Abu Bakr Al-Faransi (France), and Abu Ja'far Al-Senegali (Senegal).
Islamic State Fighter Calls Upon Mujahideen To Immigrate To Libya, Join ISIS There
On April 27, 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) released a video message by one of its fighters in Libya calling upon mujahideen everywhere to travel to Libya in order to join ISIS there. The fighter also calls upon those mujahideen in Libya who do not belong to ISIS to pledge allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.
The brief message, which was less than two minutes long, was released by the ISIS media office of Tripolitania province (western Libya).
In the last several days, Islamic State (ISIS) supporters began tweeting pictures featuring pro-ISIS slogans from various locations in Rome. The images were accompanied by the hashtag #Islamic_State_in_Rome. The images also included threats against Italy, warning Italians that ISIS is "on your streets."
On April 25, ISIS supporter Abu Khattab Al-Ansari 11 tweeted four images taken from various locations in Rome, mocking Italian authorities. He wrote: "Allah Akbar, We are on your streets... hahaha." The tweet also included the same message in Italian ("siamo in vostro strade")
WARNING - GRAPHIC: ISIS Stones Two Homosexuals In Homs
The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On April 23, 2015, the Homs province of the Islamic State (ISIS) published pictures showing the stoning of two men convicted of homosexuality. A picture showed one of the convicted being led blindfolded to his execution site. The image quotes a hadith prescribing the punishment for homosexuals: "Whoever you find doing the act of the people of Lot, execute the doer and the one to whom it is done."
In Video, ISIS In Yemen Beheads Houthis, Executes Yemeni Soldiers
On April 30, 2015, the media office of the Islamic State's (ISIS) "Shabwa Province" in Yemen released a two-minute video documenting the beheading of a number of Houthis, and the execution of a group of captured Yemeni soldiers.
The video, which was shot at night, shows as many as 10 Yemeni soldiers identifying themselves by name and military unit. Shown up close is one soldier in particular who is crying frantically.
WARNING - GRAPHIC: Islamic State Stones Two Adulterers In Iraq
The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On April 26, 2015, the Ninawa province of the Islamic State (ISIS) released pictures showing the stoning to death of two men convicted of adultery.
As with many of ISIS's public executions, this one was also attended by large crowds.
On April 24, 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) released two videos showcasing its medical services in Syria. The videos were released by the Aleppo and Al-Raqqa media offices, and include footage of various medical services that ISIS provides to Muslims in those provinces. Different medical professionals are interviewed throughout the videos, and speak about the services offered by ISIS. The men also direct repeated calls to medical professional to make hijra (immigrate) to the Islamic State in order to improve its medical services. The videos highlight the shortage in qualitied medical professionals. In one instance, an Australian pediatrician urges medical professionals who are living in the West and are considering coming to the Islamic State to waste no time.
Video Shows ISIS Fighters Undergoing Various Water Training Drills
On April 24, 2015, the Dijla province of the Islamic State (ISIS) released a video showing military training in an ISIS camp near the Tigris River.
According to a masked ISIS fighter, trainees undergo various physical and military exercises including swimming in the Tigris River, jumping from high ground, and rappelling from high places using ropes.
A large portion of the video features the amphibious training the men receive. The fighters are seen practicing swimming, using camouflage to hide on the river banks, and swimming while holding knives in their mouths before sneaking up on their pretend enemies and eliminating them.
Islamic State (ISIS) Showcases 'Media Point' In The Town Of Al-Huwaija, Iraq
On April 27, 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) posted several pictures showing a media point it operates in the town of Al-Huwaija (west of Kirkuk), Iraq. The media point shown is labeled 41.
ISIS employs numerous media points in areas it controls, in which propaganda materials are disseminated. The pictures show large crowds watching one of ISIS's releases being played on a flat screen TV outside the media point.
In other pictures, an ISIS member manning the media point station is seen working on his laptop with a number of memory flash drives by his side. In another picture, the man is seen handing one of those flash drives to a person.
ISIS Rejects Accusations That It Carried Out April 18 Jalalabad Suicide Bombing
A copy of the statement
The Islamic State (ISIS) has rejected media reports that it was behind the April 18 suicide bombing outside a bank in the Afghan city of Jalalabad in which nearly three dozen people were killed.
Pro-ISIS Hacker Attacks Facebook Pages In Retaliation For Shutdown Of Pro-ISIS Facebook Pages
A pro-Islamic State (ISIS) hacker has recently hacked a number of Facebook pages in retaliation for the shutdown of other Facebook pages that belong to ISIS supporters.
The hack, which was reported by jihadis on the pro-ISIS Jihadi Media Platform forum, was carried out by a member of the pro-ISIS online media entity Rabitat Al-Ansar.
Prominent Jihadi Forum Shumoukh Al Islam Now Hosted By French Company OVH
Shumoukh Al Islam, one of the main jihadi forums, has been active since 2007. The forum is used by jihadis to share and distribute information and material in Arabic. It has recently become openly supportive of the Islamic State (ISIS), and serves as a platform for spreading this organization's propaganda.
A screengrab of the Twitter account
A jihadi account on Twitter operated by a user claiming to be based in Khorasan (the Pakistan-Afghanistan region) has been tweeting links to jihadi videos and similar online content.
As of April 22, the account, with the display name "Muslim Jawan," ("Muslim soldier"), follows 141 accounts and has 355 followers. It has tweeted 1,668 times (see the above image). A review of its tweets indicates that it owes its allegiance to the Taliban groups in the Pakistan-Afghanistan region.
Screen shot from TTP blog
On April 18, 2015, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Pakistani jihadist organization whose leadership is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan, announced that it had developed an app enabling jihadi youths to contact it. An Urdu-language announcement on the TTP's blog on wordpress.com noted: "To contact Umar Media [the broadcasting arm of the TTP], click on the link below to download the Umar Media App on your mobile phone."
Gazan 'Liwa Al-Tawhid' Group Releases New Fundraising Video
Liwa Al-Tawhid (The Momotheism Brigade), a Gazan armed group which is part of Al-Nasser Salah Al-Din Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, has released a new fundraising video via its media company, Al-Buraq, titled "If They Seek Your Aid". In the eight-minute video, which was posted to the group's Twitter page on April 25, 2015, a spokesman for the group says that the money raised in a previous fundraising drive was used to equip the group's fighters and to establish a training camp at which hundreds of warriors were trained for the next confrontation with "the Jews."
AQIM Official Calls On Mujahideen In Tunisia To Carry On Until Tunisia Is 'Purged' Of Secularism
On April 26, 2015, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) released an audio recording by Sheikh Abu 'Ubayda Yousef Al-'Annabi titled "Tunisia - Between the Message of the Mujahideen and the Cunning of the Secularists." In it, he praises the efforts of AQIM affiliate 'Uqba bin Nafi' Brigade in Tunisia, while at the same time mourning its fallen members. Al-'Annabi also reminds Tunisians that their uprising will not be complete until they rise up against their corrupt regime; urging them to support the mujahideen in their midst, he also reminds them that the mujahideen are their children, and that they are working on their behalf to free them from oppression.
