An American jihadi mentioned in a MEMRI report in late 2010, Kosovo-born Muslim Sami Osmakac, was charged yesterday, according to federal authorities, with allegedly plotting to attack crowded locations around Tampa, Florida, including nightclubs and a sheriff's office, with a car bomb, assault rifle and other explosives. Prior to his arrest, Osmakac had made a video of himself explaining his motives for carrying out the planned violent attack.[1] According to court documents, Osmakac had also expressed a desire to attack military bases.[2] He was arrested January 7 following a meeting with an FBI undercover agent.[3]
Osmakac was highlighted by MEMRI in a December 10, 2010 report, "Part V: YouTube - The Internet's Primary and Rapidly Expanding Jihadi Base: One Year Later on YouTube - Anwar Al-Awlaki's Presence Expands, Al-Qaeda Goes Viral, Jihadists Post Thousands of Videos of Killing of U.S. Troops; European Jihadists Also Embrace YouTube," for his November 15, 2010 post on the YouTube page of Tampa-based Anwar Al-Awlaki follower and fellow Florida jihadi Abdullah Abdul Malik (who has himself been highlighted in multiple MEMRI reports). In the post, Osmakac, under the online alias "Abdul Samia,"[4] promised that Muslims will work to "fight the Christians, to close down the churches, to divide, to destroy, [and] take down the cross, to kill all the swine."
Malik's YouTube page, which as of 11 AM EST today was still active, contains multiple Al-Awlaki video clips, and his user avatar is a picture of Al-Awlaki with an Al-Qaeda flag behind him. The videos on the page express love for Al-Awlaki, as well as for Osama bin Laden. Another comment on the page was: "May Allah destroy all you evil dirty mouth immoral cross-worshippers, prepare for the hellfire! The end is near…"
Through our monitoring of jihadi use of YouTube over the past two years,MEMRI research has determined that YouTube has emerged as one of the leading websites for online jihad. It has replaced – and surpassed – websites administered by the jihadis themselves, which were previously the leaders in online jihadi efforts.
MEMRI has briefed members of the U.S. government and Congress on this issue, and has also met with representatives from Google Inc. to share our findings in identifying videos that incite violence and terrorist acts and to explain the role they play in homegrown terrorism.
As MEMRI noted in its most recent report on jihadis on YouTube, "despite YouTube's efforts... monitoring of online jihad shows that there has been no visible impact on YouTube against jihadi clips."
The following are links to Abdul Samia's videos posted to YouTube, and, below that, an appendix of major MEMRI reports on jihad on YouTube:
*To view the clip, visit https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=699614290289.
*To view the clip, visit https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=699599749429.
*To view the clip, visit https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10151158260095093.
SUPPORT OUR WORK
*To view the clip, visit https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10151157929715093.
*To view the clip, visit https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10151157976260093.
*To view the clip, visit https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10151158088470093.
*To view the clip, visit https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10151158372170093.
Appendix: Major MEMRI Reports On Jihad On YouTube:
Part I – Deleting Online Jihad and the Case of Anwar Al-Awlaki: Nearly Three Million Viewings of Al-Awlaki's YouTube Videos – Included Would-Be Christmas Airplane Bomber, Fort Hood Shooter, 7/7 London Bomber, and Would-Be Fort Dix Bombers, December 30, 2009,
Deleting Online Jihad and the Case of Anwar Al-Awlaki: Nearly Three Million Viewings of Al-Awlaki's YouTube Videos – Included Would-Be Christmas Airplane Bomber, Fort Hood Shooter, 7/7 London Bomber, and Would-Be Fort Dix Bombers
Part II – The Internet's Primary and Rapidly Expanding Jihadi Base: A Look at Al-Awlaki's Followers YouTube Pages, May 4, 2010, YouTube – The Internet's Primary and Rapidly Expanding Jihadi Base: Part II
Part III – The Internet's Primary and Rapidly Expanding Jihadi Base: Taliban YouTube Page Remains Active, July 2, 2010, YouTube – The Internet's Primary and Rapidly Expanding Jihadi Base – Part III: Despite Removal Efforts, Taliban YouTube Page Promising Terror Attacks on U.S. Cities Remains Active
Part IV – The Internet's Primary and Rapidly Expanding Jihadi Base - Part IV: Young American YouTube Follower of Anwar Al-Awlaki on the Ground Zero Mosque and 9/11: 'America Reaps What It Sows'; 'You Pretend Like the World Trade Center and the Pentagon Was a Daycare Center or a Maternity Ward; If the People Who Did 9/11 Wanted To Kill Innocent People, They Would Have Bombed a School… Church… Daycare Center,' August 28, 2010, YouTube - The Internet's Primary and Rapidly Expanding Jihadi Base - Part IV: Young American YouTube Follower of Anwar Al-Awlaki on the Ground Zero Mosque and 9/11: 'America Reaps What It Sows'; 'You Pretend Like the World Trade Center and the Pentagon Was a Daycare Center or a Maternity Ward; No - The World Trade Center Was the Epicenter of American Economy That Funds So Much Death And Destruction... If the People Who Did 9/11 Wanted To Kill Innocent People, They Would Have Bombed a School... Church... Daycare Center'
Part V – YouTube – The Internet's Primary and Rapidly Expanding Jihadi Base: One Year Later on YouTube – Anwar Al-Awlaki's Presence Expands, Al-Qaeda Goes Viral, Jihadists Post Thousands of Videos of Killing of U.S. Troops; European Jihadists Also Embrace YouTube, December 10, 2010, Part V: YouTube - The Internet's Primary and Rapidly Expanding Jihadi Base: One Year Later on YouTube - Anwar Al-Awlaki's Presence Expands, Al-Qaeda Goes Viral, Jihadists Post Thousands of Videos of Killing of U.S. Troops; European Jihadists Also Embrace YouTube
Part VI – YouTube – The Primary and Rapidly Expanding Online Jihadi Base: Following Deaths of Bin Laden and Al-Awlaki, Jihadi Groups Continue To Post Thousands of Videos, Provide Cyber Jihad Tools on YouTube; The Case of 'Muslims Against Crusades', December 6, 2011, YouTube – The Primary and Rapidly Expanding Online Jihadi Base, Part VI: Following Deaths of Bin Laden and Al-Awlaki, Jihadi Groups Continue To Post Thousands of Videos, Provide Cyber Jihad Tools on YouTube; The Case of 'Muslims Against Crusades'
See also: In Videos Posted On YouTube, Seattle Terror Suspect Abu Khader Al-Latif Praises Anwar Al-Awlaki, Osama bin Laden, and Jihad, June 30, 2011,
In Videos Posted On YouTube, Seattle Terror Suspect Abu Khader Al-Latif Praises Anwar Al-Awlaki, Osama bin Laden, and Jihad
