memri
April 20, 2019 Special Announcements No. 755

Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Weekend Summary

April 20, 2019
Special Announcements No. 755

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: Pro-ISIS Media Group Calls For Attacks In Spain During Holy Week

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

On April 14, 2019, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media outlet released a short video calling for attacks in Spain during Holy Week (April 14-20).

 

EXCLUSIVE: Pro-ISIS Channel Shares Guide To Obtaining Weapons From Dark Web, Urges Muslims To Attack In The West

On April 11, 2019, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram channel posted a message in English urging Muslims in the West to buy weapons on the so-called "Dark Web" and perpetrate terror attacks in revenge for the killing of ISIS fighters in Baghouz, Syria.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Jihadi Social Media – Account Review (JSM-AR): Upstate New York Man Posts Content From Sheikh Ahmad Musa Jibril, Conspiracy Theories, Antisemitic Content On Facebook, Planned To Travel To Sudan

Platform: Facebook

 

EXCLUSIVE: French Al-Qaeda Fighter And Convert To Islam Urges Muslims To Join Jihad

On April 13, 2019, a French-language jihadi media outlet broadcast an 18-minute audio interview with a French Al-Qaeda fighter in Syria.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Jihadis Celebrate Notre Dame Cathedral Fire, Dub It A Punishment And Good Omen

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

Jihadis celebrated the destruction of large parts of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in a devastating fire on April 15, 2019. Reactions by jihadis on social media refer to the cathedral as a symbol of Christianity and a major point of origin for the Crusades. Several describe the fire as punishment for various crimes attributed to France or to Christians in general, such as France's military intervention in Muslim countries or the mosque massacres in New Zealand. Some jihadis, including leading figures, view the incident as a good omen heralding calamities for the West and the global order.

The following is a selection of such reactions to the fire:

Muntasir Media, a pro-ISIS media outlet, published a poster showing the burning cathedral, with the caption: "A good day! Notre Dame cathedral. Its construction began in 1163 and finished in 1345. It's time to say goodbye to your pulpit of polytheism. 'A fitting reward' [Quran 78:26]."

A French-speaking jihad supporter on Facebook writes: "800 years of history of pedophilia, worship of Satan and other diabolical rituals, all up in smoke in a few minutes...it's thrilling [...] not mentioning the Crusades and the various wars led by the Church against the Muslims."

 

ISIS Publishes Photos Showing IED-Manufacturing Facility In Salah Al-Din, Iraq

On April 16, 2019, the Islamic State (ISIS) in Salah Al-Din province, Iraq, released a pictorial report documenting the operations inside one of its IED-manufacturing facilities in the province.

 

Articles In ISIS Weekly Celebrate Campaign To Avenge Defeat In Syria

Issue 177 of Al-Naba', the official Islamic State (ISIS) weekly magazine which was released on Telegram on April 12, 2019, focuses on a new ISIS campaign called the "Raids Avenging Syria."

 

First Ever ISIS Claim Of Central Africa Attack

On April 14, 2019, an Islamic State (ISIS) news agency published a link on its numerous Telegram channels to an account on a new social media platform called Koonekti.com.

 

ISIS Publishes Photos Of A German And A Local Fighter Killed In A Failed Attack On An Egyptian Checkpoint

Two Islamic State (ISIS) fighters participated in a failed attack on a checkpoint in southern Sinai on April 12, 2019.

 

ISIS Publishes Photos Showing Shooting And Beheading Of Men Accused Of Apostasy In Libya

On April 16, 2019, the Islamic State (ISIS) in Fezzan, Libya published a pictorial report showing its fighters shooting and beheading men it accused of apostasy.

 

ISIS Releases Photos Documenting Its Recent Attacks In Libya

On April 15, 2019, the official Telegram channel of the Islamic State (ISIS), Nashir News, released several photos documenting ISIS's recent arrests and killings of Haftar militiamen in the town of Al-Fuqaha in Libya.

 

ISIS Media Outlet Tests New Platform

On April 14, 2019, the Islamic State (ISIS) Nashir News Agency published a link on its numerous Telegram channels to an account on a new social media platform called Koonekti.com.

 

Kashmir-Based Instagram Account Catalogs Videos Of Quran Verses About Jihad, Links To YouTube Channel

The Instagram account, which first posted on April 6, 2019, has eight posts and 253 followers.

 

Telegram Channel Promotes Jihad And Martyrdom, Post Quotes From Anwar Al-'Awlaki, Documents Deaths Of Fighters In Syria

The Telegram channel was created on March 8, 2019, has 384 followers, and says its purpose is "to incite the believers."


Pro-ISIS Hackers Issue Warning About Covert Anti-ISIS Hackers

On April 15, 2019, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) group of hackers released a statement warning ISIS members to beware of insidious anti-ISIS hacking groups claiming to support ISIS, when in fact they are part of covert Western anti-ISIS intelligence operations.

 

Pro-ISIS Hacking Entity Denies Being Part Of 'United Cyber Caliphate,' Gives ProtonMail Address

On April 16, 2019, Islamic State (ISIS) supporters circulated a statement, allegedly on behalf of a pro-ISIS hacking group, in which the latter denied being part of the two pro-ISIS hacking entities United Cyber Caliphate (UCC) and the Caliphate Cyber Shield (CCS).

 

Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) Calls On People Of Algeria And Sudan To Continue Revolting, Urges Them To Beware Of Anti-Revolution Forces

On April 12, 2019, Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) released a statement congratulating the people in Algeria and Sudan for ousting their presidents, called on them to continue revolting until all their demands are met, and warned them to beware the anti-revolution forces.

 

Albanian Jihadi Group Documents Attack On Syrian Army

On April 17, 2019, a group of Albanian jihadi fighters engaged in the Syrian conflict which operates alongside Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) released a short video on its Telegram channel.

 

Al-Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Offers To Exchange Prisoners With ISIS In Yemen, Warns ISIS Not To Harm AQAP Members In ISIS Prisons

On April 17, 2019, the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released a statement offering to swap prisoners with the Islamic State (ISIS) and warning it not to harm AQAP members held in ISIS prisons.

 

Group For Support Of Islam And Muslims (GSIM) In Mali Claims Responsibility For IED Attacks On Army And UN Forces

On April 16, 2019, Al-Zalaqa News, the official media outlet of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated organization Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimin (The Group for Support of Islam and Muslims – GSIM), released communiqué number 112, claiming responsibility for three separate IED attacks in Mali on April 4, 9, and 12, 2019, targeting Malian and UN forces.

 

Al-Qaeda In The Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) Claims Responsibility For Double IED Attack In Tunisia

On April 18, 2019, the Tunisian branch of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) released a communique on Telegram claiming responsibility for a double IED attack against the Tunisian army on April 17, 2019, near Kasserine.

 

Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) Media Arm Publishes Article Describing Bitcoin As 'Future Currency Of Economy'

On April 18, 2019, Ebaa', the news the agency of Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), published an article about the history, future, and characteristics of Bitcoin, which it described as "the future currency of economy."

 

Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) Video Features Advice From Group Official In Syria

On April 11, 2019, the Syrian branch of the Uyghur jihad group Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) released an eight-minute video featuring a message from a religious official.

 

Afghan Government Clears 250-Member Delegation For Talks With Taliban In Qatar

According to a media report, the Afghan government has released a list of 250 individuals, including 52 women, who will meet with a delegation of the Islamic Emirate (the Taliban organization) in Qatar for two-day talks on the future of Afghanistan.

Share this Report: