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September 2, 2016 JTTM Weekly No. 230

Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Weekend Summary

September 2, 2016
JTTM Weekly No. 230

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-Qaeda Leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri Calls To Unite Jihadi Groups, Accuses ISIS Of Causing Schism And Harming Jihad

 

On August 30, 2016, Al-Qaeda's official media wing Al-Sahab released a 15-minute video titled "One United Structure" featuring the group's leader, Ayman Al-Zawahiri. In the video, which was also posted on the group's official Telegram channel, Al-Zawahiri called on all mujahideen everywhere to join ranks under one united body to concentrate their efforts fighting the enemies of Islam. Al-Zawahiri repeatedly attacks "Ibrahim Al-Badri and his gang" - a pejorative reference to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and ISIS - claiming that they have divided the ranks and caused harm to the path of jihad.

 

EXCLUSIVE: AQAP Releases Part Four Of 'Harvest of Spies' Video Series, Says It Executed Two Men Accused Of Being Behind Drone-Strike Death Of Commander Al-Zinjbari

 

On August 29, 2016, Al-Malahem, the media wing of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), released Part Four of its "Harvest of Spies" video series highlighting the role played by local agents in drone strikes targeting the group's leaders and fighters. The video, which was posted on the group's official Twitter and Telegram accounts, featured two men confessing that they had spied for Yemeni intelligence agencies and that they were responsible for the February 2016 drone-strike death of senior AQAP military commander Hamza Al-Zinjbari.

 

EXCLUSIVE: ISIS Sympathizer In Washington DC Active On Twitter

 

An ISIS sympathizer has been active on Twitter since July 2016. Tweets focus on Donald Trump, and the double standards Muslims face in Western society.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Chicago ISIS Supporter Active On Facebook

 

An ISIS supporter active on Facebook. He previously was active on Twitter, however, it appears he favors Facebook since his Twitter account is currently dormant. He circulates official ISIS propaganda under the guise of "educational purposes."

 

EXCLUSIVE: Oregon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Enthusiast Expresses Support For ISIS On Facebook

 

An Oregon man on Facebook is vocal in his support for the Islamic State (ISIS) on his Facebook page. He is fairly forthcoming regarding personal details, revealing, for instance, that he was institutionalized and placed in a mental asylum, but it is unclear how long he stayed there since some of the details in varying posts are conflicting.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Sheikh 'Abd Al-Razaq Al-Mahdi Urges Uyghur Fighters In Afghanistan To Not Travel To Syria And Instead Await Chance To Liberate Turkestan From The Chinese

 

On August 26, 2016, the Sawt Al-Islam ("The Voice of Islam") media company, the official media arm of the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP), which is linked to Al-Qaeda and whose men fight in Afghanistan and Syria, among others, published a 10-minute video titled "For Allah is With Those Who Patiently Persevere." The video, which was also posted to Sawt Al-Islam's Telegram channel, featured an Arabic-language interview with Sheikh 'Abd Al-Razaq Al-Mahdi, a Syria-based cleric associated with Jabhat Fath Al-Sham (formerly Jabhat Al-Nusra), in which he urges Uyghur fighters in Afghanistan to stay there for now and not travel to the Syrian battlefront. Al-Mahdi explains that these fighters are needed on the Afghan front, and are also geographically close to the Turkestan border, and will one day be able to easily return to their land, liberate it from the Chinese, and implement shari'a law there. The rest of the video, which is in the Uyghur language, recounts the history of Al-Qaeda's war in Afghanistan, and includes images of 'Abdallah Azzam, Osama bin Laden, and images of Uyghur fighters who fought in Afghanistan over the years.

 

Pro-ISIS Media Group To Muslims In France, Germany: You Are Lucky To Have The Enemy So Close At Hand; Don't Suffice With Attacks That Kill Only A Handful Of Them; Stage Attacks In Train Stations, Highways, Malls

On August 26, 2016, the pro-ISIS media group Al-Battar posted an article titled "Who Among Us [Can Fight] the Cross-Worshipers [Better Than You]?", which calls upon Muslims in the West to carry out "lone wolf" attacks in their countries, especially in France and Germany. The article was posted on the pro-ISIS Al-Khilafa Telegram channel; below are its main points.

The author, Shibl Al-Baghdadi ("Lion of Al-Baghdadi"), urges Muslims in Europe - especially in France,  "the chief patron of the Cross," and in Germany, "the defender of Atheism" - to carry out attacks by every means,  and on all possible targets, for all targets are legitimate. 

 

UPDATED - ISIS Announces The Death Of Spokesman Abu Muhammad Al-'Adnani In Syria, Promises Retaliation

 

On August 30, 2016, the Islamic State (ISIS) news agency, A'maq, reported that the Islamic State official spokesman, Abu Muhammad Al-'Adnani, was killed in Syria.

Al-'Adnani, according to the announcement that was posted on the agency's website and Telegram channel, cites a "military source," and says: "Military source to A'maq Agency: the martyrdom of Sheikh Abu Muhammad Al-'Adnani, spokesman of the Islamic State, during an inspection of his to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo."

 

ISIS Video Features Foreign Children, One Of Them British, Executing Kurdish Fighters

 

On August 26, 2016, the media office of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Al-Raqqa Province, Syria, released a video featuring foreign children, one of them British, executing five men described as Kurdish fighters. In the video, which is titled "The Nations [are] Uniting Against You", the five children, who are identified as Yousouf Al-Ozbaki, Abu Fuad Al-Kurdi, Abu Al-Baraa Al-Tunisi, Abu Abdalla Al-Britani and Abu Ishaq Al-Masri, shouted "Allah Akbar" before shooting the men in the head at close range.

 

ISIS Releases Updated Version Of Its English News Android App

The Islamic State (ISIS) news agency, A'maq, has released an updated version of its English news Android app. The upgrade follows other recent releases by the agency, including version 3.0 of its Arabic news app, and a web browser add-on.

 

The new English version, version 2.0, promises more stability and privacy for its users. Similar to the Arabic app, it delivers various ISIS-related news, videos, and infographics that tout ISIS's military achievements and offensive capabilities, among other things.

 

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