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May 4, 2017 Special Dispatch No. 6907

Jihadis Call For Attacks In France Ahead Of Final Round Of Presidential Elections – A Review

May 4, 2017
France | Special Dispatch No. 6907

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

In anticipation of the upcoming second and final round of the presidential elections in France, jihadis have issued calls and threats to launch attacks in the country. The Islamic State (ISIS) was quick to claim responsibility for the April 20, 2017 attack on police in Paris on the eve of the first round, and the group's supporters online celebrated the attack and called for more. ISIS's French media wing incited followers in France to carry out further attacks, urging them to follow the example of the perpetrators of the attacks in Europe, and especially France. One pro-ISIS writer hinted that the group prefers a Marine Le Pen win, since that would alienate French Muslims and push them to rise up against their government and turn to joining ISIS's ranks.

Jihadi activists also have also taken the elections as an opportunity for ideological recruitment among radical Islamists in France, warning them that participation in elections is forbidden by the religion.

It should be noted that Al-Qaeda has also renewed its calls for attacks against France; one prominent Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) leader called upon African Muslims living in France to carry out attacks there in revenge against France for its actions in Mali.

Following are links to recent reports published by the MEMRI Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM):

ISIS 'Rumiyah' Magazine In French: Anyone Who Participates In Elections Is An Infidel; Muslims In France Should Achieve Martyrdom By Killing Candidates And Burning Polling Stations

French Salafis Discuss On Facebook Whether It Is Permissible To Pray For A Le Pen Victory  

Pro-ISIS Website: Champs-Élysées Attack Was Part Of ISIS Strategy Aimed At Bringing The Fight To Europe, Prompting Election Of President Who Will Exacerbate Tension With Muslims   

Senior AQIM Leader Calls On African Muslims In France To Carry Out Attacks There

ISIS Calls For Attacks In France Before Final Round Of Elections

Pro-ISIS Propaganda Outlet Praises Champs-Élysées Attack, Pledges Intensified Attacks Against West

Jihadi Reactions To the Attack On The Champs Elysées In Paris

Salafi-Jihadi Campaign Against Muslim Participation In French Presidential Elections

Iyadh Ag Ghali, Leader Of Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimeen (GSIM), The New Al-Qaeda Affiliate In Mali: 'France Is Our [First] Enemy'

U.S.-Based Walkie-Talkie Encrypted Chat Application 'Zello' Continues To Serve As A Meeting Place For Jihadists; Calls For Attack On France Transmitted On App

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