Jihadi Forum Members Mock Media Reports About Al Qaeda's Support Of McCain

Several members of the militant Islamist Internet forum Al Hesbah voiced their surprise at some media reports that considered a forum posting published last Tuesday as a claim of support to U.S. presidential candidate John McCain. A number of members mocked media organizations for confusing a message posted by an al Qaeda sympathizer with official al Qaeda releases.

"The (McCain) campaign must've been very pleased with this...those stupid fellas are still unable to differentiate between the statements of al Qaeda and those issued by al Qaeda supporters and chatroom bloggers," said one member. Another claimed that such twisting of the facts was deliberate so the candidates can use it in their campaigns. He suggested that this was indirect free propaganda for Obama, as the reports suggested that McCain had the support of al Qaeda.