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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On October 21, 2015, the Algeria province of the Islamic State (ISIS) released a 10-minute audio recording titled "One Body," on the jihadi Shumoukh Al-Islam forum and elsewhere. In it, an unidentified speaker praises ISIS and urges Muslims to unite under its banner. Attacking all ISIS enemies, he focuses on Russia's involvement in Syria, and also on China, which he says has joined the fight against ISIS because it fears that the Islamic State will expand to it.
British ISIS member Sally Jones, the widow of Junaid Hussain, is actively continuing her late husband's hacking legacy, and has ramped up her efforts in recent weeks. Hussain was killed by a U.S. drone strike in August 2015. Jones was added to a list of ISIS members under sanctions by the UN, and on September 29, she was also added to the U.S. administration's list of "foreign terrorist fighters." Jones has been leaking the personal details of members of the U.S. military; specifically high-profile figures who were involved in targeting militants. Most recently, Jones has revealed the personal details of a retired pilot and intelligence operator.
EXCLUSIVE: Prominent Al-Shabab Figure Pledges Allegiance To Islamic State
On October 22, 2015, jihadis on the Shumoukh Al-Islam forum circulated an audio recording allegedly of top Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen religious figure Sheikh 'Abd Al-Qadir Mu'min pledging allegiance to Islamic State (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. Mu'min is a former imam of a mosque in London, and several months ago appeared in an official Al-Shabab lecture series on Ramadan.
On October 21, Australian Jabhat Al-Nusra fighter Ahmed posted a series of tweets calling on American Muslims to target Russians in the West. The call to attack Russians is a result of Russia's recent bombing campaigns in Syria. The Aleppo-based fighter suggests targeting Russians at embassies, pubs, and churches.
The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
A fatwa published by an Indian Barelvi organization based in South Africa noted that the Islamic State (ISIS) considers Shi'ites to be apostates and therefore eligible to be killed, and likewise declares Shi'ites to be apostates.
The Barelvi movement in Islam originated from the northern Indian town of Bareilly. It is a movement within Sunni Islam. The Barelvi doctrinal movement, founded in opposition to the Deobandi movement of Islam by Islamic theologian Imam Ahmed Raza Khan (1856-1921), has established branches in many parts of the world. Khan is popularly known as A'la Hazrat. Imam Ahmed Raza Academy, a leading institution of the Barelvi movement, is based in South Africa. Its website, Raza.org.za, gives its official address as 1st Floor, 92 Victoria Street, Durban 4001, Republic of South Africa.
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EXCLSIVE: 'Safety & Security Guidelines For Lone Wolf Mujahideen' Distributed On Twitter
On October 18, 2015 a top ISIS disseminator on Twitter circulated an instructional manual for lone wolf attackers. He tweeted: "BREAKING: 'safety & security guidelines for lone wolf mujahideen' by IS supporters".
AQAP Commander Defends Destruction Of Historical Sites In Yemen, Vows To Punish Critics
On October 17, 2015, Mohib Attiyat Allah, a member of Fida', a jihad forum affiliated with Al-Qaeda, posted a video of a Friday sermon delivered by Khaled Batarfi, a senior commander in Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), defending the destruction of shrines and historical sites in the city of Mukalla, Yemen, which has been under AQAP control since April 2015.
On October 21, 2015, Sheikh Abdallah Al-Muhaisni, the president of the Center of Callers for Jihad and the senior judge of Jaysh Al-Fath, announced the establishment of a center aimed at coordinating with Sunni soldiers planning to defect from the army of President Bashar Al-Assad. In the video, which has been posted on the official Twitter account of the Center of the Callers for Jihad, Al-Muhaisni addressed the mothers of Sunni soldiers in Al-Assad's army and urged them to communicate with their children as well as with the office to coordinate their defection.
On October 15, 2015, the Abna' Hadhramaut (Sons of Hadhramaut) group, which is an affiliate of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), released a statement announcing the arrest of two journalists hours after a large protest on October 12 against the group's presence and practices in Mukalla, the capital city of Hadhramaut province. The city has been under AQAP control since April 2015.
On October 22, 2015, the Ibn Taymiyya Media Center (ITMC), which covers news on Jihadi groups in Gaza, released a document containing instructions and tips on stabbing tactics as well as bomb and poison making to individuals who are planning to kill Jews. According to the document, which is titled "Jihadi Ideas and Tips," the goal is to enhance the results of individual operations as well as to incite and support the "lions of individual jihad operations" in Bait Al-Maqdis (Jerusalem).
ISIS Claims Responsibility For Attack On Shi'ites In Saudi Arabia
On October 16, 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack which took place the same day on a Shi'ite mosque in Saihat in Saudi Arabia's Qatif region. The claim of responsibility was made in a communiqu├® issued by the "Bahrain Province" (this is the first official statement to be issued by this ISIS province). It identified the gunman who carried out the attack as Shuja' Al-Dawsari, and added: "Allah enabled him to kill and wound tens of the Rafida [Shi'ites] as they finished their polytheist ceremonies, praise Allah. With Allah's permission, the polytheists in the Arabian Peninsula will not be secure."
Following are high-definition images posted by the Islamic State (ISIS) in Khorasan (Afghanistan-Pakistan region) of its fighters undergoing military training somewhere in the region. The ISIS post indicates that this is the graduation ceremony of a new group of the "soldiers" of the so-called ISIS caliphate in Khorasan.
The images were shot sometime during the Islamic month of Moharram, which began on October 16. These activities appear to have taken place at two ISIS training camps, one named after Abu Umar Baghdadi (top three images) and another named after Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi, the former Al-Qaeda leader whose organization in Iraq later morphed into ISIS.
ISIS In Libya Beheads South Sudanese Christian, Executes Libyan Soldier
The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On October 19, 2015, the media office of the Islamic State in Barqah, Libya released a video featuring the beheading of a Christian man from South Sudan and the execution of a Libyan soldier. In the video, which was released on the ISIS-affiliated online forum Shumoukh Al-Islam, the South Sudanese national identified himself as Kuel Gai Owek Ajak, a Christian from the Bahr Al-Ghazal region. Addressing the Muslims in South Sudan, his executioner assured them that ISIS will defend them and "cut all the hands which attempt to harm you." To the Christians in South Sudan, he said, "As you kill, you will be killed and as you have displaced our brothers, you will be displaced." He added, "We will fight all of you as you fight all of us."
ISIS Recruiting Aeronautical And Other Engineers
ISIS's "Military Production and Development Authority" recently published an advertisement calling for engineers in diverse fields, including aeronautical engineers, as well as other professionals, to join its ranks. The ad, which was posted on the jihadi forum Shumoukh Al-Islam (shamikh1.info), says: "The ISIS Production and Development Authority announces that it requires engineers in the following fields: aeronautics, physics, chemistry, mechanical, metals. In addition, it requires... blacksmith and machinists. For further details call 00639080738013 [a telephone number in the Philippines]."
ISIS, Al-Qaeda Fighters And Supporters Take Keen Interest In Edward Snowden's Tweets
Edward Snowden, the former contractor who leaked thousands of NSA documents, opened a Twitter account on September 29, 2015. Snowden often tweets about surveillance and encryption - two areas of interest to which jihadis and their supporters pay close attention. Many loyal to either Al-Qaeda's Syrian branch Jabhat-Al Nusra (JN) or to ISIS follow Snowden's account. Some retweet his tips or engage him directly by asking questions. Snowden's impact on the tactics and methods of terrorist groups is notable. Al-Qaeda has changed their method of communications following Snowden's disclosures.
ISIS In Kirkuk Claims U.S. Forces Operation Fails To Rescue Peshmerga Prisoners
On October 22, 2015, the media office of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Kirkuk released a statement claiming that an operation headed by U.S. forces failed to rescue Peshmerga prisoners. According to the statement, military aircrafts including Chinook and Apache helicopters took part in the mission at one of the prisons in the Al-Musanna'h area. The statement noted that none of the "apostate Peshmerga" were among those who were rescued in the operation. The statement accused the alliance forces of bombing the prison after the operation, killing dozens of prisoners. Claiming that a number of "crusaders" were killed and wounded in the operation, the statement acknowledged that three of ISIS fighter who were guarding the prison had been killed as well.
