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August 25, 2016 JTTM Weekly No. 229

Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Weekend Summary

August 25, 2016
JTTM Weekly No. 229

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.)

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 media@memri.org. Please include your name, title, and organization in your email.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Al-Zawahiri Exhorts Muslims To Unite Under Banner Of Islamic Emirate In Afghanistan, Renounce Al-Baghdadi

On August 21, 2016, Al-Qaeda released via its official media wing, Al-Sahab, a six-minute video titled "Do Not Be Divided." The video is part 2 of the "Brief Messages to a Victorious Nation" series, in which Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri addresses the Muslim nation. In this installation, Al-Zawahiri calls on all Muslims, especially those in Afghanistan, to rally around the proven leadership of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan, which, he says, has been bravely confronting the Crusaders and America for years.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Al-Qaeda Leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri Calls On Iraqi Muslims To Unite And Wage A Guerilla Campaign To Rid Iraq Of Shi'ite-Crusader Occupation

On August 25, 2016, the official Al-Qaeda media body Al-Sahab published a 4-minute video in which the group's leader, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, calls on Sunni Muslims in Iraq to unite the ranks and launch a lengthy guerilla campaign to expel the Shi'ite-Crusader occupation from their country. According to Al-Zawahiri, there is currently an Iranian-Shi'ite-Crusader campaign being carried out against Iraq's Sunnis under the pretext of fighting "the Ibrahim Al-Badri group" - a pejorative reference to ISIS and its leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. However, Al-Zawahiri alleges that the true goal of this campaign is to exterminate the Sunni population. He argued that the events in Syria were not merely a localized problem, but rather a tragedy for all Muslims. He called on the mujahideen in Syria to assist their comrades in Iraq and reorganize, as their campaign is a joint one.

 

EXCLUSIVE: West Virginia Convert, ISIS Sympathizer, Active On Google Plus

A father of three from West Virginia and convert to Islam, appears to subtly voice support for the Islamic State (ISIS) on his Google plus account. He states that he works in West Virginia, but no further details are provided concerning his profession. He has posted videos by pro-ISIS Australian cleric Musa Cerantonio, and by the pro-ISIS London-based preacher Abu Haleema. Cerantonio was arrested in May 2016 for attempting to join the Islamic State. Additionally, he posts sermons by late Yemeni American AQAP cleric Anwar Al-'Awlaki, and images promoting jihad as well.

 

EXCLUSIVE: On Facebook, Tampa Convert Voices Support For ISIS, Converses With American Jihadi In Syria

A Tampa, Florida man on Facebook, has voiced his support for ISIS and is part of a large pro-ISIS clique on the social media platform. He is forthcoming with about his tumultuous personal life.

 

EXCLUSIVE: On Facebook, American Recruiter For ISIS Provides Updates From Syria; His Recent Recruits Include An American

A Facebook user, who says that he is an American fighter with the Islamic State (ISIS) in Deir Al-Zour, Syria, includes little personal information, he arrived in Syria in 2012. He states that the London-based extremist clerics Anjem Choudary - who was recently convicted of supporting ISIS and Abu Baraa were both instrumental in his radicalization when he was still in the U.S.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Rachid Kassim, French ISIS Operative And Executioner Active On Telegram - Threatens And Incites Terror

 

Rachid Kassim, aka Ibn Qassim, is an ISIS operative who administers a Telegram channel. Kassim's online activity had a direct role in inciting ISIS supporters to carry out attacks in France.

 

EXCLUSIVE: ISIS In Al-Khair Province Calls On Muslims To Attack West, Russia, Including Civilians, By Every Possible Means

 

On August 20, the Islamic State (ISIS) in Al-Khair (the Deir Al-Zor area on the Syria-Iraq border) posted a 19-minute video calling to take revenge on the West and on Russia for the damage their airstrikes are causing in Syria.

 

Issue 10 Of ISIS French-Language Magazine 'Dar Al-Islam' - Overview

 

On August 20, 2016, the Islamic state (ISIS) published the tenth issue of its French-language magazine Dar Al-Islam. The 58-page issue, titled "Game Over," celebrates the wave of recent terror attacks in the West and especially in France, depicting ISIS as victorious and France as fighting a losing battle. The following is an overview of the issue, which was released by ISIS's media wing Al-Hayat and was distributed through official ISIS outlets on several social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook and Telegram.

 

Advice For 'Lone Wolves' On ISIS-Affiliated Telegram Channel: Poison The 'Infidels' Food, Air And Water, Spread Panic By Posting False Alarms

 

A message posted August 21, 2016 on a pro-ISIS Telegram channel, includes a series of suggestions for "lone wolves" on targeting "infidels," including by poisoning them, causing road accidents and delivering false warnings to create panic.

 

In Response To Twitter's Crackdown On Extremist Accounts, Pro-ISIS Hacking Group Alleges It Hacked 5,000 Accounts On The Platform

 

On August 22, 2016, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) hacking group, claimed that it had hacked 5,000 new Twitter accounts in addition to the 5,000 that it previously claimed to have hacked.

 

ISIS Releases New Song In Uyghur Titled 'Religion Of Ibrahim'

 

On August 22, 2016, the Islamic State (ISIS) Al-Hayat media center, which is responsible for media production in non-Arabic languages, distributed on its Telegram channel a new Islamic chant in the Uyghur language, titled "Religion of Ibrahim."

 

Brazilian ISIS Supporters Active On Twitter

 

A handful of Brazilian ISIS supporters have surfaced on Twitter, some of whom appear to use their real names. Some of the locations in Brazil mentioned by the supporters include Alenquer, Carmo de Minas, Blumenau, and Santa Catarina.

 

Jabhat Fath Al-Sham (JFS) Fighters Follow Twitter Account Of Syrian Volunteers Providing Intercepted Information On Airstrikes, Drones

 

On both Twitter and Telegram, a service, which describes itself on Telegram as "a service provided by volunteers which hopes to provide the people of Syria with valuable information in order to keep up-to-date and safe," notifies its followers of airstrikes or drones in Syria.

 

TIP Promotes Upcoming Video Documenting 'Great' Battle Of Aleppo, Releases Aerial Photos Of Battlefield

 

On August 21, 2016, the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic Party of Turkestan (TIP), which comprises mostly Uyghur fighters, released a promotional clip for an upcoming video release documenting the battle for the besieged city of Aleppo. The group also released two drone-shot aerial images of bombarded areas that it said were military targets.

 

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