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March 25, 2016 JTTM Weekly No. 206

Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Weekend Summary

March 25, 2016
JTTM Weekly No. 206

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: JN Leader Al-Julani Congratulates Syrians On Revolution's Fifth Anniversary, Vows To Continue Fighting To The Death

 

On March 17, 2016, Abu Muhammad Al-Julani, the Emir of Jabhat Al-Nusra, the Al-Qaeda branch in Syria, released a statement congratulating the Syrian people on the fifth anniversary of their revolution against the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Jabhat Al-Nusra Officials To Syrian Mujahideen: Disregard Ceasefire, Continue Armed Jihad Until Assad Regime Is Toppled

 

On March 18, 2016, Jabhat Al-Nusra's (JN) Al-Manara Al-Bayda' media wing posted part 2 of its "Heirs of Glory" video series. The 36-minute video, which was posted on the jihadi message board Al-Fida' and elsewhere, is a continuation of the first part in the series that was posted in June 2015, and analyzes the differences between the Arab Spring revolutions in some Middle Eastern countries and the armed struggle taking place in Syria for the past five years. The video's main message is the importance of continuing the fight against the Syrian regime and ignoring the ceasefire agreed upon by the Russians and Americans.

 

EXCLUSIVE: British Hostage John Cantlie Mocks Obama In New Video, Says Americans 'Bankrupt of Intelligence'

In an ISIS video posted on the Internet on March 19, 2016, British photojournalist John Cantlie, held hostage by ISIS for over three years, showed the wreckage of what he said was a "50 dollar media kiosk" in Mosul, Iraq, and said: "If this is what Obama meant when he talked about degrading and ultimately destroying ISIS, it's clear he's got a long way to go yet." Mocking the American airstrikes, he said in the 3.5 minute video: "The Americans are so bankrupt of intelligence that this is all they have left to target."

 

Click here to view this clip on MEMRI TV

 

EXCLUSIVE: Jordanian MP Whose Son Carried Out An ISIS Suicide Bombing Joins Fight Against Extremism

The following report is from MEMRI's Counter-Radicalization Initiative.

Muhammad Al-Dala'een, a 23-year-old medical student and the son of Jordanian MP Mazen Al-Dala'een, joined ISIS in July 2015 and carried out a suicide operation three months later in the city of Mosul, Iraq. After learning that his son had become a member of ISIS, Mazen Al-Dala'een joined the fight against extremist ideologies and became active in preventing young Jordanians from joining ISIS and in returning those who have already joined. In an interview with a television channel associated with the Syrian opposition, he said that before his son's death, he had even asked ISIS-affiliated elements to kill his son so that he would not carry out a suicide operation.

It should be noted that Muhammad Al-Dala'een is not the first son of a Jordanian MP to join a terrorist organization. In January 2015 it was reported that the 25-year-old son of MP Falah Al-'Abadi, a dentist by training, had been killed in Aleppo, Syria while fighting in the ranks of Jabhat Al-Nusra.

In a December 16, 2015 interview with the online newspaper Arabi21, Mazen Al-Dala'een spoke of his son, of ISIS's recruitment methods, and of his activity to prevent young people from joining this organization in Syria and Iraq. He criticized the media for not taking an active role in fighting extremism, and called to eliminate the rhetoric of radical religious organizations.

 

EXCLUSIVE: ISIS Claims Attack On 'Secret American Base' In Iraq

 

On March 22, 2016, the Islamic State (ISIS) in Dijla province claimed responsibility for attacking what it alleged to be a "secret American base" in the Makhmour area, south east of Mosul. ISIS' description of the attack said that its fighter launched two rockets on the base, followed-up by an assault-squad of four who engaged the US forces with light weapons and hand grenades. 

 

EXCLUSIVE: ISIS Supporter Extols Decision By Group's Leadership To Attack Brussels, Says Attack Will Lead To Conquering Rome

 

On March 23, 2016, Shumoukh Al-Islam, a leading jihadi form affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS), published an article by one Abu Al-Anfal Al-Maghribi extolling the group's decision to attack Brussels. Al-Maghribi also predicted that the West's response would lead ISIS to conquer Rome.

 

Video Celebrating Brussels Attacks By Pro-ISIS Media Agency Al-Battar

 

Click here to view this clip on MEMRI TV

 

ISIS Supporter Suggests Targeting Hospitals, Universities In West

 

On March 23, 2015, a member of the pro-Islamic State (ISIS) jihadi forum Shumoukh Al-Islam, Muslim Al-Gharib, posted a call to ISIS members to attack hospitals and universities in "Crusader [i.e. Western]" countries in response to coalition attacks on hospitals and universities in areas controlled by ISIS and other opposition forces. Al-Gharib argued that such targets are far easier to attack than airports, which have extensive security measures in place. 

 

ISIS Distributes Candy To Locals To Celebrate Belgium Terror Attacks

 

On March 23 and 24, 2016, the Islamic State (ISIS) released a series of photos showing ISIS militants in Syria, Libya and Afghanistan distributing candy to locals, including children, to celebrate the March 22 Brussels terror attacks. On Twitter, the group's Syrian province of Al-Kheir released a photo report titled "Distribution of Candy to the Muslims in Celebration of the Blessed Raid in Brussels on the Belgium Crusaders." ISIS provinces in Khurasan and Tripoli, Libya also posted photos on the pro-ISIS leading jihadi forum Shumoukh Al-Islam showing the group's fighters distributing candy and copies of the ISIS statement claiming responsibility for the attacks to locals.

 

ISIS Weekly Newsletter Celebrates Brussels Attacks

 

On March 22, 2016, the Islamic State published the 23rd issue of its weekly newsletter, Al-Naba. The issue's cover celebrated the attacks in Brussels, which took place earlier the same day. The newsletter's cover was headlined "The Islamic State Shook Crusader Europe Again." Inside the newsletter, a short piece toasted the attacks as a blow to the Belgian security services and an event that triggered a state of emergency throughout Europe.

 

ISIS Claims Responsibility For Brussels Attacks, Promises 'Dark Days' For 'Alliance Of Crusaders'

The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.

 

On March 22, 2016, the Islamic State (ISIS) released a statement claiming responsibility for today's attacks in Brussels. The statement, which was posted on the ISIS-affiliated leading jihadi forum Shumoukh Al-Islam, noted that a group of fighters in suicide belts and carrying machine guns and bombs had stormed "carefully selected targets" and killed a number of "crusaders" in the airport and the metro station before blowing themselves up.

 

Responses To Brussels Attacks: ISIS Supporters On Social Media React With Threats, Glee

The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.

 

On March 22, 2016, a series of attacks in Brussels, targeting the Zaventem Airport and Maalbeek Metro station, left at least 34 dead and 230 injured. These attacks come days after the capture in Brussels of Salah Abdesalam - one of the prime suspects behind the November 2015 Paris terror attacks. Hours after the Brussels attacks, the ISIS-affiliated A'maq News Agency claimed responsibility for the attacks on behalf of ISIS.

 

ISIS Supporters Post Images Saying Brussels A Mere Prelude

 

On March 22, 2016, a group of online Islamic State (ISIS) supporters, calling themselves the "Al-Waad (the promise) Media Foundation" published a series of images praising the Brussels terror attacks, threatening future additional attacks in Belgium and Germany, and promising that the "nightmare has only just started."

 

On Instagram, British ISIS Fighters Celebrate Brussels Attacks, Hint At Upcoming Attacks In London

 

On March 22, 2016, on his Instagram account, a British ISIS fighter uploaded a video of himself gleefully reveling in the Brussels ISIS attacks on Zaventem Airport and the Maalbeck metro station that killed 34 and wounded 230. In the video, he jokes about the prospect of several prominent areas in London being targeted. Also in the video, another ISIS fighter is heard joining in and yelling.

 

ISIS Members In New Nasheed About Brussels Attacks: 'We Have Set The Land Of Belgium Aflame'; 'Didn't We Tell You That We Would... [Reach] Your Fortresses Soon?!'

 

On March 24, 2016, the Asdaa' ("Echoes") Audio Productions media organization, which is affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS), released an audio recording of a nasheed titled "Hell in Brussels." The recording, about a minute in length, was disseminated via a Telegram account.

 

In Attempt To Expand Its Reach, ISIS News Agency 'Amaq Launches Two English-Language Blogs

 

The Islamic State (ISIS) news agency 'Amaq has launched two new blogs on WordPress and Tumblr, in order to cater to English-speaking audiences. 'Amaq's main blog in Arabic, which is also hosted on WordPress, has been active for a year. 

 

Urdu Jihadi Song Released By ISIS Media: 'Do You Wish To Only Keep The Times Of The Caliphate In Memories?'

 

Following is the translation of an Urdu jihadi song posted by Al-Hayat Media, which is affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS):

"Have seen the darkness's mischiefs, it is about to be the dawn, "Now atrocity and brutality are about to be removed."

 

Video Of Kidnapped Japanese Journalist In Syria Circulated On Facebook

 

On March 17, 2016, a video showing a kidnapped Japanese journalist named Jumpei Yasuda was circulated on Facebook. A Facebook user named Tarik Abdul Hak, who claims to be located in Jisr Al-Shughur, uploaded the video. In the video, Yasuda addresses his family, and relays a message to his fellow Japanese citizens. Below is the transcript:

"Hello, I am Jumpei Yasuda, and today is my birthday - 16 March. They told me I can speak what I want freely and I can send messages to anyone."

 

AQAP Executes Three Men Accused Of Sorcery In Gail Bawazir

 

On March 17, 2016, Al-Athir, a media agency affiliated with Al-Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), announced that the group had executed three men who were accused of sorcery in the city of Gail Bawazir, Yemen. 

 

AQIM Claims Responsibility For March 18 Rocket Attack On Gas Plant In Algerian Sahara, Threatens Western Interests In Region

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has released a statement claiming responsibility for the March 18, 2016 rocket attacks on a gas plant in Ayn Salah, Algeria that is operated by BP, the Norwegian Statoil, and the Algerian government-owned Sonarach. No one was killed in the attack.

 

Report: 53 Madrassas In Pakistan's Sindh Province Linked To Jihadist Groups

Following are excerpts from a Pakistani media report indicating that 53 madrassas in Pakistan's Sindh province are associated with jihadist organizations:


A security official visits a Pakistani madrassa

"The Sindh government has identified 53 seminaries [as] having 'leanings towards militancy,' against which security agencies have been ordered to take 'appropriate action' ... Officials of the Home Department said they had got reports from intelligence sources which found 53 madrassas with 'leanings towards militancy' and a majority of them were in Karachi [the capital of Sindh province]."

 

Following Brussels Attacks, Pro-ISIS Media Agency Posts Banners Online: 'Oh Crusaders... You Will Not Be Safe... Until You Stop Your Bombing And Pay The Jizya Poll Tax'; 'America Is Next'

 

Following the March 22, 2016 Brussels terror attacks, the pro-ISIS media agency Al-Battar posted a series of banners titled "Brussels Raid" online, including on the pro-ISIS jihadi forum Shumoukh Al-Islam, featuring threats to Europe and the West. The banners stated that so long as the "Crusaders" continue their bombings and do not pay the jizya poll tax, they will not be able to live in safety, and ISIS fighters will continue to attack them in their homes. They also stated that all of Europe is a target for ISIS, and that America is next in line to be attacked.

 

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