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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A video published by the ISIS-affiliated Amaq Media Agency on April 26 shows ISIS members standing over a fallen U.S. drone. One member, placing his foot on the drone, declares that "Allah has downed this plane," and threatens: "We shall invade you in Rome, we shall capture your women, and we shall kill and slaughter you."
ISIS members: "Allah has downed this plane to teach us that we should place our trust in Him. We place our trust in Allah. Allah willing, you will see how Allah downs your planes - large and small. Allah willing, we shall invade you in Rome, we shall capture your women, and we shall kill and slaughter you. Allah is witness to what I say."
On April 21, 2017, Dutch ISIS fighter Abou Khattab Zizo posted on Facebook to urge his followers to launch attacks in the U.S., Europe, and Australia. His post was accompanied by two images of lions.
The following information is based on a general overview of a social media account demonstrating terror-related activity / sympathies.
Platform: Facebook
Type of account: ISIS supporter
Sharing of jihadi content: Has shared a photo of the ISIS flag, and other graphics of armed militants.
EXCLUSIVE: ISIS Steps Up Its Spanish-Language Media Outreach
On April 25, 2017, Spanish police arrested several suspected jihadi individuals in Barcelona in connection with the March 2016 Islamic State (ISIS) terror attacks in Brussels.
EXCLUSIVE: Senior AQIM Leader Calls On African Muslims In France To Carry Out Attacks There
The head of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's (AQIM) political committee, Abu Abd Al-Ilah Ahmad, has called on the Malian, Nigerian, Algerian and Tunisian diasporas in France to wage jihad against the French on French soil. The call was published in Issue 47 of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated weekly Al-Masra, published April 24, 2017.
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On April 23, 2017, the Al-Qaeda media company Al-Sahab released a 6-minute audio message by the group's leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri focusing on Syria and urging Syrians to prepare for a long-term war against their enemies. Al-Zawahiri advises the mujahideen to adopt a strategy of guerrilla warfare rather than focusing on holding territory in order to "wear down" their enemies and cause them to "bleed to death." Al-Zawahiri also urges the mujahideen to present the jihad in Syria as a matter concerning the entire ummah to avoid it being looked upon as merely a nationalistic or geographically-bound issue.
AQAP Releases Video Condemning U.S., UAE For Recent Commando Raid In Yemen
The April 21, 2017, Al-Malahem, the media arm of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), released a video condemning the U.S. and the UAE for conducting a commando raid in Yemen and commending the Yemeni tribesmen for fighting against the U.S. Special Forces.
In a statement dated April 18, 2017, The Imam Shamil Brigade, a previously unknown group, claimed responsibility for the April 3, 2017 St. Petersburg Metro attack, stating that the perpetrator, Akbarzhon Jalilov, had carried the attack following the guidance of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri. Jalilov, a native of Kyrgyzstan, is described in the statement as a "lion" and "one of the knights of Islam."
On April 27, 2017, an alleged ISIS fighter in Iraq's Ninawa province tweeted a threat to President Trump and Air Force Colonel John L. Dorrian, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led coalition operation against the Islamic State. He also posted a tweet calling for the killing of Somali President Mohamed Farmaajo, who is currently visiting Turkey.
ISIS Al-Raqqa Video Challenges U.S. To Fight ISIS Face-To-Face, Features French Suicide Attacker
On April 21, 2017, ISIS "Al-Raqqa Province" released a 22-minute video that reiterates the organization's determination to continue fighting its enemies. The video highlights ISIS's battles in the province, especially against the PKK in the northern rural areas, and states that even if ISIS eventually loses Al-Raqqa, or in fact all of its territories, it and its followers will never give up the fight, because they are fighting over beliefs and not over territory.
(Warning – Graphic) Escalation Between ISIS And Sinai Tribe: ISIS Member Burned Alive
The ongoing clashes between members of the Tarabin Bedouin tribe in northeastern Sinai and the Islamic State (ISIS) have come to a head with the burning alive of an ISIS captive.
The following information is based on a general overview of a social media account demonstrating terror-related activity / sympathies.
Platform:Facebook
Type of account: ISIS supporter
Additional Information: Claims to originally be from Giza, Egypt, and according to his account he currently resides in Sydney, Australia.
Platform:Facebook
Type of account:ISIS supporter
Additional Information: According to Salfi's Facebook account, he resides in Nasinu, Fiji. Salfi is Facebook friends with Westerners who support ISIS, such as a man in Washington D.C.
Pro-ISIS Hacking Group CCTA Continues Campaign Of Hacking Facebook Accounts
The pro-Islamic State hacking group Caliphate Cyber Terrorism Army (CCTA) initially began hacking Facebook accounts in March, 2017. Screenshots of the accounts hacked are circulated on pro-ISIS Telegram channels such as Islamic State News.
New TIP Video Features Song Glorifying The Group's Fighters
A new video released April 19, 2017 by the Voice of Islam, the media company of the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), features a song in titled "Loyalty" glorifying the group and its actions.
Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) Shares Pictures Of Entrenched Fighters And Uyghur Martyrdom Bomber
On April 26, 2017, The Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) published the photo of Alab Arsalan Al-Turkistani, who carried out a martyrdom attack on a Syrian army roadblock in the northern Hama countryside as part of a joint offensive alongside Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and the Free Syrian Army.
In Statement, Taliban Eulogizes Baghlan Province Governor Maulawi Lal Muhammad Muhammadi
On April 23, 2017, the Taliban released a statement on its English-language website eulogizing the late governor of its Baghlan Province, Maulawi Lal Muhammad Muhammadi. The statement stressed that the killing of its leaders only increases the Taliban's strength, and added that its leaders and fighters are victorious whether they live or die a martyr's death.
Following is the text of the statement:
"Five days ago the foreign occupiers – along with the regime soldiers and spies – raided an area in Baghlan's Dand Ghori district. The Mujahideen engaged the raiders, killing several soldiers. The raiders then called for airstrikes on the Mujahideen, martyring five of them, including the Islamic Emirate's governor for Baghlan province- Maulawi Lal Muhammad Muhammadi."
